I just love it when a town comes together!
Written by Declan on September 14th, 2010 Categories: Fund-raising, General, Latest | there are 2 Comments »Clonakilty… almost as strange a sounding place as Kathmandu, wouldn’t you say? Born and raised there as I was (Clonakilty that is, not Kathmandu), perhaps I was destined early on for a life in oddly named destinations…? Regardless, that is (as they might say back in my native West Cork) neither here nor there! Light years away from the random chaos of Kathmandu though it may be, this vibrant little seaside town perched on the south-west coast of Ireland shares a little-known but still very special link with the Himalayan capital from where I type these random words. A significant proportion (which I sincerely hope is the diplomatic way of saying almost all ;o) of just-one‘s funding just so happens to come directly from this very special place!
The beginning of the end of the 2010 'just-one weekend' in Clonakilty.
It’s funding that continues to come, as it has since 2004, from a truly incredible community of people whose fantastic support has been the life blood of just-one since our earliest beginnings. Sure, as our work in Nepal has evolved and grown, word of our existence has reached ever-further and our support base slowly spreads through more and more countries. Much-needed support for our work, whether it comes from Knockskeagh, Kilkenny or Kentucky, is always greatly appreciated… It’s just that this home-grown support somehow inspires and humbles me more than any other.
The weekend just gone, for example, saw my home town host an entire weekend of great gigs in support of just-one, which was kindly organised by a trio of young locals who had seen our work in Kathmandu first-hand and returned to Ireland determined to help. An amazing weekend, by all accounts, and an equally amazing feat of fund-raising which will allow us to do so much valuable work out here. To the organisers, the proprietors, the participants, the punters and all others who came together to make it all work, the growing family that is just-one sends its most sincere and grateful thanks.
It goes without saying that the same thanks goes to all others too who have supported us in the past and kindly continue to do so despite (and perhaps in spite of) the on-going economic difficulties back there – whether it’s the buckets of coppers collected by an ever-growing army of socially-conscious school students, or the family generously committed to a regular donation via standing order (our preferred donation method for Irish residents, as opposed to the on-line method best for international donors), or the pensioner who selflessly puts more than he or she can comfortably afford into a collection tin, or one of the better established local charities who kindly share their valuable funds with us, or the local company who willing donate their stock or services to help further our cause, or the brave young woman who’s prepared to jump out of a plane or run a marathon on our behalf, or the young lads willing to shave their trendy locks, or any one of countless other ways which various groups and individuals, be they from Clonakilty or far beyond, who have kindly helped us prove beyond reasonable doubt that it really doesn’t take much to make a difference.
Keep the support coming and we’ll keep doing what we do as best we can. Spread the word of just-one, help increase our support and we’ll endeavour to do even more!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
2 Responses to “I just love it when a town comes together!”
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read the previous post A lot of inking, without much thinking…, go on to the next post The very last ‘annual’ blog-post!, find out how to make a difference, or learn about our work.
October 4th, 2010 19:12
Declan, the time you and your helpers spent with me recently was a blessing. It was apparent your heart and the efforts of those around you are in the right place. I shared that time with a friend yesterday and I encouraged him to consider assisting in any way his family could.
October 5th, 2010 11:20
David, thank you for your kind and encouraging words and your continued support of just-one’s work – all very much appreciated, I can assure you. It’s always a pleasure to show visiting donors like yourself the work they are kindly supporting. You are, after all, one of the ‘far beyond Clonakilty’ folks referred to in the post above and, like all our supporters, play a very crucial role in the very existence of just-one – thank you for this and thank you for helping us to spread the word amongst your friends.