'Irish Night'

will boost

program

CANTERBURY — United Services is excited to host its 15th Annual Irish Night March 17 at Wrights Mill Farm to benefit Northeast Connecticut’s community behavioral health center’s children and family programs. 

Irish Night tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased through March 10 by visiting unitedservicesct.org/events/Irish-night or by calling 860-774-2020 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

United Services Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Groups are one program that will benefit from the proceeds of this event, featuring a corned beef dinner, musical entertainment and exciting silent auction items.

A study conducted by AARP found that Connecticut has 40,000 children being raised by their grandparents or other senior caregivers. United Services offers the only Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Groups in the region, with groups meeting in Plainfield and in Willimantic.  Nearly all of the participants are living on fixed incomes.

With the guidance of a United Services clinician, the groups offer bereavement, parenting guidance, counseling, respite and peer support to grandparents raising their grandchildren due to unforeseen (and often unfortunate) circumstances.  In many cases, were it not for their grandparents stepping up to raise their grandchildren, the children would have been placed in state care.  For the grandchildren, the support groups also offer a measure of peer support and respite, as kids are given the opportunity to do fun activities and talk with other kids who are in the same situation as themselves.

Irish Night includes a Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner, with fish and vegetarian options available, live music with Irish sing-alongs, and a silent auction featuring many exciting items, including sports, music and movie memorabilia – this year featuring signed items from pop sensation Adele and the epic series Star Wars – Walt Disney World Tickets and a 6 day African Safari for two!

All proceeds will benefit United Services Children and Family Programs: These include:

* One of the busiest Child Guidance Clinics in the state, providing trauma-informed and trauma-focused mental health services for children and adolescents.

* Family Programs, including parent education, support groups such as Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, and crisis intervention.

* The region’s only Domestic Violence Program, providing 24/7/365 emergency crisis, shelter and supportive services to women and children.

* Wraparound clinical care and support services for Autism Spectrum Disorders at the Center for Autism.

* Youth Service Bureau and Juvenile Review Board, coordinating youth service programs and juvenile justice intervention.