Aleteia logoAleteia logoAleteia
Tuesday 19 March |
The Solemnity of Saint Joseph
Aleteia logo
Inspiring Stories
separateurCreated with Sketch.

Irish teens go to great lengths to raise much needed funds

Cliffs of Moher

Nick Fox | Shutterstock

Cerith Gardiner - published on 07/12/21 - updated on 07/21/23

A couple of 19-year-olds put on their walking boots and used their time to raise funds for a very worthy cause.
Without donors, Aleteia's future is uncertain.
Join our Lenten Campaign 2024.
PLEASE MAKE A DONATION TO ALETEIA

With summer in full swing, lots of teens are enjoying trips away with friends. However, a couple of summers ago, two teens in Ireland, Scott and Derek, put on their walking boots and used their time to raise funds for a very worthy cause.

Scott’s cousin, Lucas, attended Abacus Kilbarrack Special School in Dublin. And as Scott shared on his GoFundMe page, the school was instrumental in helping Lucas progress. “This school is amazing, and I wanted to say thank you for the support they have given him and my aunty and uncle,” he shared.

As a result, the pair thought they’d raise a few hundred euro by setting out on a 186-mile walk from the school in Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare.

While the pair found the 19-day walk pretty challenging, especially with some grueling days lasting 18 hours, their good humor and determination kept them going. As Derek shared, he would say: “I can do this, I want to do this.”

Yet what remains particularly refreshing about the duo is the attitude they displayed: They saw the positive side of their walk. In addition to raising funds, they also discovered more of their native Ireland. And while they were delighted with the funds raised initially, as the walk progressed the donations started to climb, leaving the pair thrilled. In fact, the final figures on GoFundMe totaled over $82,000 in donations.

The money will be put to good use, of course, but the teen’s efforts were more far-reaching. They inspired people to get out there and use their time to do good, their example is still motivating other youngsters to lend a helping hand — or in this case, pair of feet! — and they proved what great lengths family will go to in order to support each other.

Tags:
Acts of KindnessCharityIreland
Support Aleteia!

Enjoying your time on Aleteia?

Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you.

Thanks to their partnership in our mission, we reach more than 20 million unique users per month!

Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting and transformative Catholic news, stories, spirituality, and more.

Support Aleteia with a gift today!

jour1_V2.gif
Daily prayer
And today we celebrate...




Top 10
See More
Newsletter
Get Aleteia delivered to your inbox. Subscribe here.