St. Patrick’s Day tradition gives back to Rochester community

(ABC 6 News) – Imagine getting a voicemail from a leprechaun! What a better way to get into the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day?

Keith Roe (aka “Lucky”), originally born and raised in Ireland, settled in Rochester in 2014. While he works as a nurse at Mayo Clinic, he’s also a part-time leprechaun.

Six years ago, one of Roe’s friends thought it would be fun for him to call her kids, pretending to be a leprechaun, and it quickly turned into a tradition. Now, Roe continues to make these calls for a good cause.

For St. Patrick’s Day 2022, Roe wanted to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House of Rochester, and ended up fundraising more than $600. This year, he set a goal of $1000, and by 9:00 a.m. Friday morning, he has raised nearly $1,400!

This year, Roe is making more than 40 calls to more than 120 kids across different states!

“For a lot of people, when they think of Ireland and Irish culture, obviously one of the very first things they think of is St. Patrick’s day and leprechauns,” says Roe. “There’s so much magic in that imagination. It’s fun to bring that little piece of island with me when I’m over here and to kind of share in that little bit of magic.”

When parents request a phone call, they’re asked to fill out a form, which includes a section for parents to mention any traps kids have made, and how to trigger them, so Roe can include those details in the call.

Parents often also include the names of pets or nicknames the children go by, which makes the magic truly come alive!

Roe is no longer taking phone calls this year, but is still accepting donations until Monday, March 20th. You can donate to his Venmo @Keith-Roe-1

Roe plans to create a centralized place for people to make requests for phone calls and donations in the future, so keep an eye out for him and Lucky next year!