By: Eloise Walton
THE RESIDENT would like to thank all those who participated and offered donations for our charity lunch on Friday May 25 to mark International Missing Children’s Day.
Everyone present was delighted that Kate McCann, Madeleine’s mother, decided to accept The Resident’s invitation and make a surprise visit to the event with two of her friends.
The event, which took place at the A Paleta Restaurant, was a huge success with more than 50 guests raising around 500 euros for Instituto de Apoio à Criança, an organisation that deals directly with cases of missing and abused children in Portugal.
 In an emotional speech, The Resident’s Sheena Rawcliffe raised awareness about all the missing children in the world. |
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The Resident’s Managing Director, Sheena Rawcliffe, gave a warm and emotional speech, in which she reminded all those present that the day was to remember all the missing children around the world, but also to “continue the momentum of publicity and awareness” around little Madeleine’s disappearance. A warm welcome and a lot of support were also given by all present to Kate McCann.
Dra. Elizabete, a psychologist at the Refúgio Aboim Ascenção in Faro, gave a brief speech thanking everyone for supporting the event. She was representing Dr. Luis Villas-Boas, president of the children’s refuge, who was unable to attend but sent his best wishes. Dra. Elizabete was accompanied by colleague Dra. Verónica, sociologist for the Refúgio. The Resident’s charity of the year, Lar de Crianças Bom Samaritano, was represented by Dr. Rui Paulino Dias, president of the children’s home in Alvor.
Those present were invited to write special prayers and messages in cards that were tied to yellow (for remembrance) and green (for hope) balloons. At 2pm, Kate McCann released them into the air and, before leaving for another appointment, thanked everyone for their support and ongoing commitment to raising awareness about her daughter Madeleine.
After the balloon release, guests returned to their tables to join in with the raffle, which proved popular with those present. A special thank you goes to Cecilia Walton, Margaret Walton, Lynne Smith and Filipe Carmo from the A Paleta Restaurant, for donating the raffle prizes raising 136 euros.
As the lunch was such a success, The Resident
 More than 50 guests attended the event. |
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has decided to make it a yearly event, to mark and raise awareness for International Missing Children’s Day.
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