Paul Cooney
Posted by Love Hope Strength on Feb 17, 2009
Paul is a veteran of Love Hope Strength and helped raise over $7,000 in 2008 for the Peru Rocks event. This event touched Paul’s life, and meeting the children in the cancer center in Lima is something that he will never forget as long as he lives. Paul states that “the difference with this organization, and what I feel makes it special is that you get to go to the specific are where your donations are gong to and get to meet the people who will benefit. I like to be able to go back and thank all of my friends and family for their donations and to tell them that I was actually at the hospital and me the patients in Peru. It just gets you hooked on the giving process and makes you want to spend your life giving back as much as possible. Combining an incredible adventure with a great cause is the perfect way to live your life.”
Paul was born and raised in the small town of Pleasantville, NY with his parents, Joan and Bob and his sisters Michelle and Laura. Paul attended the University of Richmond, where he ran track and field, was active in Phi Gamma Delta, and was named “Fun Man of the Year 1998-99”. “It’s true, I have a plaque on my wall at home actually” says Paul.
Not a fan of staying in once place too long, Paul has lived in Ireland (Galway), Boston, then decided to leave the cold winters (and awful accents) behind and moved to the beach in Southern California. “My claim to fame is that I can sunburn faster than anyone else in So Cal” says Paul. He now lives in Redondo Beach, CA.
Paul is 32 and is founder and President of Shamrock Consulting Group, a telecommunications and IT consulting firm based in Manhattan Beach, CA. In 2008, Paul’s firm was recognized in MSN Money, Reuters, and Phone+ magazine for being one of the top agents in the telecommunications industry and as a top partner of AT&T.
Paul has lost several family members to cancer in the past few years, including his aunt to breast cancer and his grandfather and uncle to skin cancer. He also lost his best friend Sean to leukemia when he was in first grade, and this is something that he has never forgotten. In college another great friend Joe successfully battled an aggressive form of leukemia, and is a 13 year leukemia survivor. Paul is dedicating this trek to the memory of his lost friends and family, and to the people who will be affected by current and future Love Hope Strength initiatives.
He heard about Peru Rocks from Mike Peters in 2008 while Mike, Jules and the kids were touring California. “Sometimes somebody mentions the right thing at the right time in your life, and this was it – I was actively looking for a way to give back, and when the opportunity came up it was a perfect fit.”
An avid adventurer, Paul enjoys traveling the globe, hiking the mountains of Southern California, running on the strand at the beach, biking, and a cold beer(s) with friends.
