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The Club is proud to announce that this years Blues on the move fundraiser will be in aid of Ronald MacDonald House Charities(RMHC). The mission of RMHC is “To provide accommodation and a caring, supportive environment for families whose children are undergoing medical treatment at CHI at Crumlin.”
The Club decided to support this charity in thanks for the way they looked after “one of our own”. Liam and Fiona Crowley availed of the support of RMHC while their son Richard received treatment in Crumlin.
Liam tells of their experience:
“Fiona and I welcomed our two little boys, Richard and Daniel into the world on 17 April 2021. We were overjoyed to meet our little men but unfortunately we would not be together as a family for very long. Richard was transferred to Crumlin hospital a few hours later while Daniel was taken to NICU in CUMH.
I traveled to Dublin to be with Richard while Fiona stayed in CUMH with Daniel. When I arrived at Crumlin I had no place to stay; it hadn’t even occurred to me. The social workers in the hospital quickly arranged temporary accommodation for me in Parent’s Accommodation in the hospital. While this was welcome these facilities are very basic with only one shower and toilet for all the men in a 23 room setting. Furthermore, it was not suitable for a new born baby and so would not be suitable for Daniel to join us when he finally was discharged.
Luckily we got a room in Ronald McDonald House after a few days which would be our home for much of the next seven months.
Ronald McDonald House aims to provide a home from home for families of sick children in Crumlin Hospital. It is an invaluable service for families who are going through the most difficult moment in their lives. It is a private space for parents during a time of uncertainty and fear. The staff there understand what families are going through and do all that they can to support them. Be it providing a space for siblings to meet their newborn brother or sister for the first time or a home cooked meal at the end of what very often is a stressful day.
The only limitation to their service is that they only have twenty rooms available and they nearly always have a waiting list. Thankfully they are building a much larger facility on the grounds of the new children’s hospital that will more than double their capacity.
The charity has benefitted from fundraising by many community organisations throughout the country including a significant contribution from the GAA clubs of families who have previously stayed with Ronald McDonald House. For this reason we are delighted that the club has chosen to support this worthy charity and we wish to extend our gratitude to all the organisers and those who donate.
Thankfully, our story ended on a happy note. Richard got to be with his brother on this Easter Sunday for his baptism having been previously baptised himself in Crumlin Hospital. We will be forever grateful to all those who helped and prayed for us during this difficult time.”
How does Blues on the move work
The event will use the same format as previous years.
- We are asking everyone to get out and walk or run as far as they can over the 6 days and also to donate to Blues on the move on iDonate. https://www.idonate.ie/DiarmuidOMathunaGAAClub
- We ask everyone to take photos while they are out and about on their walk or run and send them to the Blues on the move 2022 Whatsapp group along with their total distance covered for the day. It’s 290km from Coppeen to Ronald MacDonald House, so we’re going to see how many times we can complete that distance.
- If you use Strava just join the Blues on the move group and we can pick up your distance from there.
- We’ll post a daily video of the photos received and the total distance covered every evening on Facebook,Twitter, Instagram and the Whatsapp group.
- We’ll use the same Whatsapp and Strava groups as last year. To be added to the Whatsapp group please contact Pat Murphy on 0877579167. To join the Strava group search for Blues on the move 2022 – Diarmuid O’Mathuna Gaa Club in the “clubs”section of the app.
- On Saturday the 23rd from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. we’ll have a Family Fun Event at the Soccer pitch and track as a finale to our week of fundraising. (More details of the fun event during the week but we’ll have a penalty shoot out and other novelty events)
Please support this deserving charity who are doing such important work.
