Athlone Drug Awareness Group (ADAG) celebrated their 21 year anniversary on 22nd November 2017. It was a great success. Along with guest speaker Irish Rugby star Robbie Henshaw, other highlights included the motivational talks from Carla McManus of Our Lady’s Bower and Sean Conway of Athlone Community College with excellent contributions from Sgt. Andrew Haran, Jim Henson and Antoinette Kinsella of MRDATF. The inter-school table quiz plaque was presented to the 2017 winners Athlone Community College on the day.
As part of the 21 year launch, ADAG held a photo competition with the schools on the subject of ‘what makes you happy’. There was a fantastic response to the competition from the students and the photos were on display on the day followed by the announcement of the results and subsequent prize giving.
Chairman of the group Frankie Keena stated that he would like to thank all who helped out with ADAG over the last 21 years. The voluntary support from its members and financial support from the business sectors and wider community is really appreciated. It was fantastic to have Robbie Henshaw in attendance; he is a top class sportsman, a genuine person and an excellent role model for everyone. The ongoing support from the schools is commendable and it was fantastic to see them represented at the event. The group has a great working relationship with the Gardai, HSE addiction services and Midlands Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Force.
