Humanitarian award for homeless people’s champion
Fr McVerry will be the star guest at the 2006 Meteor Ireland Music Awards in Dublin’s Point Theatre on February 2.
The homelessness campaigner said: “I appreciate very much being offered this award, it represents recognition of the importance and value of all those working with homeless people.
“Equally it recognises the importance and value of homeless people themselves, the benefits of treating them with the dignity they deserve and the importance of re-integrating them into mainstream society.”
The veteran campaigner founded the Arrupe Society in 1983 to provide care and accommodation for homeless boys.
After his ordination as a priest in 1975, Fr McVerry lived and worked in Dublin’s north inner city, where he moved to open the hostels.
The €100,000 donation will go towards the ongoing work of the Arrupe Society in its six centres.
Fr McVerry works to provide a warm, caring and safe environment to help young boys deal with behavioural problems and communicate with their families. He helps them in finding employment, training courses or schooling.
Television star Gay Byrne said: “The people he helps consider him a hero.”
Other previous recipients of the Humanitarian Award and donations include Elton John, Christina Noble, Bono, Sr Stanislaus Kennedy and Adi Roche.
A total of 17 Meteor music awards will be presented at the ceremony.
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