Helena pictured with ACCA’s Wanda Crawford (centre) and Marion Griffiths
Around €33,000 was raised at ‘One Tropical Night’, the annual charity gala held at the Conrad Algarve hotel in Quinta do Lago in aid of Algarve children’s charity ACCA.
The event was described as an “amazing night of entertainment with a true Amazonian ambiance” by ACCA president Wanda Crawford.
“It was remarkable, there were live birds, waterfalls, tropical plants of all types, beautiful Brazilian dancers and a Brazilian band which performs various regional musical styles,” she said.
Wanda said she was “overwhelmed with emotion” when the event raised more than the target of €30,000 and thanked all the sponsors, “especially Conrad”, for their huge support of ACCA Kids.
The dinner and after-party cost €150 per person, including a five-course menu with beverages. Those who wished to go just to the after-party paid €50 per person.
ACCA was founded in 2000 and is run by a small committee who “give their time, experience and enthusiasm freely to making the world a better place for children”.
ACCA’s mission as a children’s charity in the Algarve is to support those who are handicapped and abused, as well as those who are orphaned or abandoned.
Over the past two decades, ACCA has delivered “life-saving – and life-changing – therapies and medical aid to disadvantaged youngsters who either live below the poverty line, or are orphaned and in care, or who require specialist treatment that is not available to them through social services”.
Helena needs help to buy new wheelchair
Helena Luciano, 17, who lives in Olhão with her parents, suffers from Hallervorden–Spatz syndrome, a degenerative and disabling disease which can lead to issues such as Parkinsonism, dystonia, dementia.
She attends the multi-deficiency unit of the Dr Francisco Fernandes Lopes secondary school in Olhão, where she shows great desire to learn.
However, her life has been affected by the syndrome since the age of eight when it started manifesting itself more intensely.
She is wheelchair-bound and totally dependent on her parents. She has stopped talking and eating properly, and has a hard time controlling her body movements because she often has spasms and muscle stiffness.
However, the wheelchair she has now is unfit for her needs and ACCA is trying to help raise money for the purchase of a new wheelchair for Helena, as well as physio and speech therapy.
Helena’s family has known for some time that a new wheelchair is urgent, but it is a “very expensive” piece of equipment that they cannot afford.
If you are interested in helping, contact ACCA:
919 617 995
http://acca4kids.com/
