b'DAY ONE 2A welcome lunch was held at the legendary K Club wherethe Conference was based. Supporters were welcomed byPresident & CEO Kieran McLoughlin who provided anoverviewofthethreedaystocome.Heintroduced Young Leader and Chief Executive of the Gaelic Players Association Dessie Farrell and Chairman Hugo MacNeillof The Ireland Funds in Ireland. They both spoke about theimportance of the Promising Ireland Campaign and thedonors upcoming visits that afternoon to projects that hadbenefited from the Campaign.1Supporters then broke into small groups that visited312 projects in the Dublin area. The Belvedere Youth Club,the Esker Amateur Boxing Club, An Cosn, Trinity AccessProgrammes, Undergraduate Awards, Barnardos, Barret-stown, Kids in the Kitchen, Fighting Words, Headstrong &Gaelic Players Association, Social Entrepreneurs Irelandand the Irish Georgian Society showcased their work anddifferencethatTheIrelandFunds PromisingIrelandCampaignhadmade.Mostimportantly,itwasan opportunity for donors to see the tremendous results oftheir philanthropy and relationships with The IrelandFunds. For the projects, it was a chance to extend theirheartfelt thanks to donors.4The Conference then went to ras An Uachtarin, the home of the President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins.Each guest was welcomed by President Higgins and his wifeSabina. President Higgins addressed those gathered andcongratulated The Worldwide Ireland Funds on what theyhave achieved for Ireland since establishment in 1976. He announced that the Promising IrelandCampaign had aninitial goal to raise $100 million but would in fact achieve$150 million by its close at the end of 2013. The Presidentnoted that 1,200 charities across Ireland have benefitedfrom the work of The Ireland Funds. It was a remarkableannouncement that was enthusiastically received by thedelegates representing many of the 12 countries where TheIreland Funds operate. 5connect2013 | 55'