LGTE 10th anniversary celebration marks a huge milestone for Limerick charity

LGTE 10th anniversary – Suzanne Roche, Founder of LGTE (seated front) surrounded by family, friends and volunteers at the event in Bobby Byrnes. Picture: Ava O’ Donoghue/ilovelimerick.

Limerick Gateway to Education have worked towards making education more affordable for the last ten years

By I Love Limerick correspondent Ava O’Donoghue

Limerick Gateway to Education (LGTE), an educational support charity, held their 10th anniversary celebrations recently in Bobby Byrnes pub. Family, friends and many volunteers who worked with the charity over the years attended the event. 

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The LGTE aims to make education more affordable for Limerick-based families by providing recycled school essentials to alleviate the cost for parents during back-to-school time.

They promote education as a fundamental right for all children, regardless of who they are, where they come from and most importantly, whether or not they have the funds to pay for their education. 

The charity sells books, uniforms, clothing and books, household items and bric-a-brac in their store on Wickham Street. Any extra income from the shop is then reinvested into the charity’s other projects, such as their excellent learning club.

Founder Suzanne Roche decided to expand LGTE’s role and instead of being limited to just providing affordable school supplies, she decided to also host a series of tutoring sessions to help students whose families couldn’t afford other forms of academic support.

Suzanne was awarded a plaque at the anniversary event, in recognition of outstanding work and dedication towards making education and employment more accessible to the local community. 

Through LGTE, students have the option of tutoring sessions three days a week on subjects of their own choice from tutors at Mary Immaculate College and University of Limerick. 

But that’s not all for LGTE, which hosts a range of other supports and projects for members of the community as they aim towards making education possible and available for all.

A ‘read to grow’ project is also provided by LGTE to teach people from developing countries to support and educate themselves to help them grow and become stronger and self-sufficient.

An adult education programme called ‘Go Do it’ is also available, which focuses on adult education and empowering those who come through the project to learn new skills, grow in confidence, and gain workplace experience.

Through working with the LGTE staff on day to day running of the charity, the project members earn experience in a variety of skills and tasks.

Speaking of the LGTE 10th anniversary Suzanne said,“When one door closes another door opens, it’s great to interact with people and to give them support be it if they’re looking for work opportunities, training and that’s what we aim to give.

“I am blown away with all the support we have received in marking ten years in operation. We give everyone a chance regardless of where they come from, and we hope to keep the doors open for the next ten years and as long as we can from there!”

For more stories on Limerick Gateway to Education go HERE

For more information on Limerick Gateway to Education, go HERE

Pictures: Ava O’Donoghue/ilovelimerick