A Lurgan man is set to lace up his dancing shoes for a ten-hour ‘danceathon’ to raise money to build a school in memory of his mum.
James McGrath, a teacher at JivinGym, has organised the ‘Dance for Lucy’ event in memory of his mum Lucia, who sadly passed away from Alzheimer’s and Dementia at the age of 60.
James will be participating in the dance marathon, alongside a group of sponsored dancers, to raise money for the Adsum Foundation, a Belfast-based charity that supports communities in Madagascar.
It’s hoped that funds will go to build ‘Saint Lucia’s’ – a four-classroom school in the East-African island country, with chairs and tables for the children alongside a well to provide access to clean water.
It is estimated that around £34,500 will be needed for the school and the dance will go towards this worthwhile cause.
A donation will also be made to an Alzheimer’s charity.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist with the fundraising and has already raised over £5,000 of the target.
Taking place on Saturday, June 29, at the Glencarn Hotel in Castleblayney, ‘Dance for Lucy’ will feature ten hours of country-jiving, line-dancing and waltzing.
With 235 sponsored dancers taking part, the dancing starts at 11am and finishes at 10pm, with live music and a DJ rounding the night off till late.
There will also be special guest appearances from country music favourites like Derek Ryan and Patrick Feeney.
Speaking to Armagh I, James says he wants the school to be a fitting tribute to his caring mum.
“Mum was a nurse in Lurgan Hospital for years and she loved it. After her death I would meet random people in Lurgan who would tell me mum basically adopted them. She was like a second mother to them.
“Now the legacy of her will live on forever in the school in Africa.”
Having taught dancing for around seven years, James is no stranger to it all, having even won competitions in the past.
Alongside his wife, he danced for five hours non-stop in aid of a Down Syndrome charity, to be crowned Ulster’s Fittest Jivers. With this new challenge, he’s aiming to double that time.
“I am allowed to take a break this time, which is good news for me!” he said.
“We have people coming from all over Northern Ireland and Ireland. We even have someone coming from England and a girl flying in from America, so the Glencarn is going to be full.
“The dancers from all over are coming together as a collective. As I’m in the dance teaching world, sometimes there’s competitiveness. This is not a competition. It’s about bringing everyone together in one space.
“We have lots of business owners in the Armagh area and surrounding areas and all over actually have donated kindly to business sponsorships.”
He continued: “I’m overwhelmed with the love and support by people. I’m anticipating a great day out and it’s going to be a day filled with emotions for my mum.
“It’s a joyful time but also a very emotional time for myself that we’re making this happen.”
James also says he will be flying over to Madagascar for the grand opening of the new school to give the locals a dancing lesson.
“We’ll go over and actually bring that Irish country feel to Africa!” he said.
Businesses and individuals can still support the event by visiting James’ GoFundMe page here.
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