Hollywood screen icon Maureen O’Hara plans to use her 93rd birthday this weekend as a platform to raise funds for an Idaho elder abuse foundation.

O’Hara moved to Boise, Idaho to be near her grandson at the end of 2012, months after rumors circulated that she had been the victim of elder abuse at the hands of her long time executive assistant Carolyn Murphy.

To mark her 93rd birthday on Saturday, August 17th, ’The Quiet Man’ star will meet and greet fans at The Egyptian Theatre in Boise, prior to a screening of some of her most popular movies such as “The Parent Trap,” and “The Black Swan”.

Her birthday celebrations will also include a gala, starting at 6pm on August 17th, which will mark the official launch of Maureen O'Hara's fight against elder abuse. 

“The event is first and foremost an opportunity for her to meet her new neighbors,” O’Hara’s manager and biographer John Nicoletti told IrishCentral.

Previous reports had indicated that O’Hara’s visit to John Wayne’s 106th birthday celebration in Iowa in May would be her final public appearance. But Nicoletti says that was never the case.

“There has been a lot of publicity about her relocation to Idaho and we thought this was a nice opportunity for the local community to meet her.”

Proceeds from the gala will be donated to the Justice Alliance for Vulnerable Adults (JAVA), a local organization that works to prevent elder abuse.

“She thought instead of having a celebration just for her, this was a good opportunity to raise some funds for a local organization that could use the dollars,” Nicoletti explained.
 
“Maureen picked a local charity that has a cause new and dear to the her heart,” Nicoletti added.

O’Hara has settled into a new life in Boise living close to her grandson Conor FitzSimons and as a great-grandmother to his two kids.

“She has her beautiful new home, that is doors down from her grandson, his wife and their grandchildren,” Nicoletti told IrishCentral.

“The thing that has been so fun to see is all the time she gets to spend with her great-grandkids.”

“She is having a great time with them. They weren’t able to get to Ireland that often,” he added.

As her 93rd birthday appraoches, her longtime manager says the Hollywood icon has retained her youthful spirit.

“She is feeling good,” he said. “She is going to be 93 and is dealing with the standard wear and tear, given that kind of mileage, as she likes to say!”

Click here for more information on the Maureen O’Hara birthday dinner benefit and auction.