A kindhearted Donegal native has raised more than 3.2 million Australian dollars (€1.95M) for a charity that fights blindness in developing countries.
Originally from Letterkenny, businessman and philanthropist Mike Toner now lives in Melbourne. He is the son of the late Mickey Toner and his mum, Margaret (née Sweeney) still lives in Ballyraine. His brother Emmet is a well-known musician in the Cathedral town and his sister Louise also still lives there, while his other brother, Gavin, is based in America.
In Australia, Mike runs the ‘Thick as Thieves’ agency that hires and promotes some of the world’s leading DJs as well as running dance music events.
Over the past ten years, he has raised millions for the Fred Hollows Foundation, a charity that helps to restore sight and improve future prospects of millions of people living with unnecessary blindness. Mike generated the much needed cash firstly through running Iron Man endurance triathlon events, before launching his own ‘Quick as Thieves’ charity runs. This year’s event alone has raised a staggering $700,000 (€428k) to date.
The former St Eunan’s College student told his remarkable story this week to Sky News Australia’s Holly Stearnes, but not before she told him ‘the world needs more people like you’.
Watch the full interview with Mike below: