Apprentice stars visit Ballina school

YOU’RE FIRED Bill Cullen and Jackie Lavin paid a special visit to students at St Mary’s Secondary School as a reward for their fundraising efforts.?Pic: Keith Heneghan/Phocus

Apprentice stars visit Ballina school


Ireland’s king and queen of business, Bill Cullen and Jackie Lavin, were in Ballina, on Tuesday last, May 22, to teach a very special lesson to the Transition Yeary students of St Mary’s Secondary School in the town. 
The Apprentice duo shared their entrepreneurial skills and insights with the students, who beat off stiff competition from schools across the country to come up with the most innovative fundraising concept for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, as part of this year’s Kellogg’s Fun Raise 4 Kids campaign.
St Mary’s Secondary School’s fundraising event, ‘Snap, Crackle and Rock!’, raised an impressive €6,500 for the hospital. Their idea – to hold a World Record-beating attempt at the largest ever ‘Rock the Boat’ event – impressed the Fun Raise 4 Kids judges, who awarded them top marks and the opportunity to receive a mentoring session from Bill and Jackie.
Speaking at the school, Bill Cullen said: “The students of St Mary’s Secondary School have really shown great initiative in devising and executing such an inventive way to raise funds for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin. I have always been a firm believer in ‘thinking outside the box’ and believe that teenagers have always been ahead of the game when it comes to thinking of imaginative ideas.”
Annette Leonard, Kellogg’s Fun Raise 4 Kids coordinator at St Mary’s, was thrilled that the students’ hard work got such recognition. “Having Bill and Jackie come to our school to mentor the students has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the students, who will take this with them as they embark on their own careers. We were delighted to hear that we had been chosen as the winners of the mentoring session. We have been involved in this campaign every year from the very beginning, so it’s a cause that is very close to us.”