Charity holding raffle for $450,000 home in Gaelic Park
CHICAGO — In the heart of the city’s Mount Greenwood neighborhood, there is a love story playing out in the form of a beautiful brand new home being raffled off for charity.
“You see what has been crafted here will directly benefit what takes place here,” said John Conroy.
It’s a wavelength of sorts from Saint Patrick himself — also known as Gaelic Park, a place where Tracey Conroy spent much of her youth.
“All of my fondest memories of childhood was being in Ireland or being here,” Tracey Conroy said.
Conroy is the daughter of John Conroy, and like her father, is an early founder of Gaelic Park.
John Conroy came over in 1984 from a place named Tuffs in County Roscommon, Ireland, just to visit, but eventually decided to stay.
He and many other volunteers from the old country (as Irish immigrants often call Ireland) who settled here in Chicago took to the building trades. On nights and weekends, they built Gaelic Park, bit by bit over a span of decades.
“It’s a great place for people to come and socialize,” John Conroy said. “We have Gaelic games on the fields in the summer time.”
On top of including the typical music and dance, Gaelic Park has a big charitable element to it. Its mission is to further educational opportunities for todays kids of Irish descent.
So, a beautiful new home with an estimated price at $450,000 in Mount Greenwood — completely built by volunteers — is being raffled off at $100 a ticket to underwrite those educational scholarships and the overall mission of Gaelic Park.
In their heart of hearts, the lads hope that raffle winner will go to a young couple just starting out with a family of their own.
Meantime at Gaelic Park, the welcome mat is waiting for any and all … and that’s no Blarney.
“It’s a nice family-oriented place that you don’t have to be Irish to come here,” Tracey Conroy said. “Everybody is welcome. It’s very inclusive.”
To buy a ticket for the raffle, you can visit Gaelic Park’s website.
If you are interested in hiring any of the contractors who contributed toward the project on a volunteer basis, here is a list of contact information:
Roscommon Construction, INC. Carpenter/General Contractor – John Conroy – 708-951-9133 – roscommonconstruction@yahoo.com
Erris Concrete, Inc. – 708-774-9731 -errisbuilders@comcast.net
Four Shamrocks Sewer – John Cunningham 708-979-4163 & Gordon Malone 708-945-3306
Advanced Heating & Air Conditioning, INC – 708-485-7827 – 4advancedhvac.com
O’Riordan Concrete Inc – 708-717-6003
Keenan Sewer and Water – 773-269-4648 – keenansewerandwater@gmail.com
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