Chan Weng Kit's Blogspot: DAY 409/410/411

Oct 14, 15 & 16

1) So I've been quite busy these past few days. On Saturday morning, I went for the weekly kickboxing practice. Immediately after that, it was to St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre, where I had volunteered to help out with Down Syndrome Ireland. If you have been following my blog posts for a while, then you will appreciate that I have been very active in volunteering, especially for Down Syndrome Ireland. The previous two events were the Dunnes Bag Packing at Henry Street, and the Purple Run at Phoenix Park, respectively.

2) This time around, we were selling trolley discs (I don't know why they call it that, they were just key chains) and pens to raise funds for Down Syndrome Ireland. Our target this year is €30,000 - a figure which may seem overly ambitious at first, but I am hopeful we will achieve. So I met up with Ms. Kathleen Fitzsimmons, Corporate Fundraiser of Down Syndrome Ireland. A stall had been set up at the entrance of the mall, along with the donation boxes and merchandise. There were 3 different slots for the day - 10-1pm, 1-4pm, and 4-6pm. I chose the 10-1pm option. For whatever reason, I was given the responsibility of being supervisor for that time slot.

3) We had volunteers from two different schools - Holy Loreto Foxrock and St. Michael's. That was more than we needed, which was just as well as we could now have shifts. Our strategy was simple - two volunteers at the entrance to the mall, and two more at the stands where we had set up. After thanking us profusely for devoting time off to volunteer, Ms Fitzsimmons had to go off for a meeting. So off we went as well.

4) After a while standing and supervising, I got bored and decided to help the boys out. I took a poster on Down Syndrome and followed the boys as they asked for contributions. As with everything in life, there were some really kind people, and a few less pleasant ones. Overall, I was genuinely touched by how many people actually cared for and donated (often more than the €2 we sold the trinkets for), and didn't want anything in return. Apparently, Maths Week Ireland is from 14-22 Oct this year, and another group had set up a maths stand right behind us. And guess what - they donated to us as well! :D

5) The hours passed, and soon Ms Fitzsimmons returned. We took some photos together, and then we were off for the day. The 1-4pm volunteers were on the way, so we made our leave. The others went home, while I went for buffet at the top floor (it's been a while ^^). At around 3pm, we had a nice badminton session with RCSI Badminton Club at the new sports complex. The rest of the day was spent in the library, sorting out the various "stuff" that I had before their datelines. Anyway, that has been the summary of my day, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks very much for visiting, and have a great day. Cheers!