The months since September have flown by in LMHA and we have had much happening. We have expanded our list of events and classes and further developed our connections with our community and business partners.
Fairwell to Ray O’Halloran and Lavinia Ryan Duggan
Two of our wonderful Trustees also moved on to pastures new having given three years of dedicated service to Limerick Mental Health Association.
Our former Treasurer Ray O’Halloran has been an extremely competent, hardworking, and generous Trustee and has managed to ensure that our financial affairs are left in clear, ordered and transparent good health. Ray, who played for Limerick FC from 1987 until 2002, is a well-known supporter of many community and sporting organisations, and his support for mental health in his time with the board, has been invaluable. The Board of Trustees is grateful to Ray for all his time as well as bringing humour and fun to every meeting.
Lavinia Ryan-Duggan has also stepped down to concentrate on other projects. Her advice and extensive knowledge of the extraordinary range of organisations supporting charitable work in Limerick city and county, have allowed LMHA to expand and develop its services to the community. Lavinia has given unstintingly of her time and expertise to many voluntary organisations including LMHA, and we were truly fortunate to have her on our board and for her to allow us to make connections across the voluntary and business community. She brings apparently boundless energy wherever she goes acting as a catalyst for action and a great motivator for development.
Ray and Lavinia were the key drivers of the development of our annual LMHA Business Breakfast, and we thank them for their hard work and support. They will remain close to our hearts (and at the end of our phones) in the future, and we thank them for their invaluable service in supporting mental health and wellbeing in Limerick city and county.
Welcome to our new Trustees, Eimear Brophy, Dave Burke and Kate Healy
As we reluctantly part with Trustees that have done so much, we are also extremely happy to welcome new ones. The LMHA board has added three new Trustees over the last number of months.
We are excited to announce that Eimear Brophy, has joined the Board. Eimear has extensive experience in further and continuing education and has also already brought her expertise, as well as her knowledge and understanding of the mental health needs of the region, to the governance and development of the service. We are thrilled to have Eimear on board.
Another very welcome addition to our board is Dave Burke. Dave brings his expertise as a successful business man and his knowledge and understanding of organisational structures and development, as well as a passion for helping others to the governance of our service. He is a welcome addition to our board. We are all excited to be working with Dave, who’s support, and generosity (for which he asks no credit or fanfare) has benefitted LMHA before he ever became a Trustee. We are delighted that he is giving of his time at this crucial point in the development of LMHA for he has much to contribute to the smooth running of the organisation.
And finally, but by no means least, we are thrilled to welcome Kate Healy as our new Treasurer. Kate is a chartered accountant and has already made sure that our finances are structured in ways that will allow LMHA to maximise the service it provides. We are looking forward to working with Kate and to having her guidance and support in the crucial role of governance of our finances which is so important in the management of a charity.
We are excited to welcome our new additions to the board. Kate, Dave and Eimear bring a wealth of expertise which will help us ensure that our governance as a charity is of the highest quality at a crucial time for LMHA. We have much to accomplish in the coming years and we hope to expand our organisation. Stay tuned for news on two new substantial innovations in LMHAs provision of services relating to mental health in the next couple of months.
Until next time,
Lisa O’Rourke Scott, LMHA Chair