Story
5KM A EVERY DAY IN MAY TO RAISE £5,000 EMERGENCY FUNDS FOR ST. GERARD'S SCHOOL & SUPPORT SERVICES IN THE NAME OF MY MOTHER IN LAW, SHEILA, WHO SUFFERED THROUGH #MND.
I had promised myself in January of this year I would try and help with a number of fundraisers. The aim was to raise awareness for Motor Neurones Disease in memory of my mother-in-law Sheila in the month of May as it is ALS awareness month. Knowing Sheila, she would have struggled like many of us in Lock Down for a number of reasons. Mainly, she would have hated seeing so many people struggle as a result of the current situation.
She was an unbelievable woman and I was very lucky to have her in my life as my mother-in-law and granny to my two lovely boys Luca and baby Leon. Any one who met her will understand. She was an extremely kind human being. Her illness of MND didn't even stop her kindness. My goal over the next 30 days is to tell a little of her story and help raise some funds for a cause close to her and our families heart.
During my mother in laws illness - my wife, Maria, has been a teacher at a local school St Gerard's on the Blacks Road in Belfast. They were extremely supportive during this last year of Maria mothers life and continue to do so. It comes as no surprise to me as there are great people who work. The staff treat the young people with so much care and attention in their daily lives. St. Gerard’s is a special school catering for children aged 3-19 with learning difficulties. It really is a special place. They provide small class settings with highly skilled and experienced Teaching and Learning Assistant support staff for young people who attend their school.
The young people need multidisciplinary team to help them grow in a safe a nurtured environment with Allied Health Professionals such as Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists are an integral part of their school team. Along with a varied amount of sensory resources for their pupils. As you can imagine this isn't the normal school setting so in this current situation more resources are needed to help their school provide the best possible service for their young people.
So in the name of my mother-in-law, Sheila, I will be running 5K EVERY DAY in MAY to raise vital funds for St Gerard's Special School. She would love this to be seen as a way of thanks for the support the school gave our family during her illness. This is just a small gesture to try and help the school increase vital resources for their pupils at this challenging time.
We did a fantastic job raising £1,000 so far and a massive thank you to everyone who donated so far. You are all legends. I continue to run each day in May in the hope to raise money to help this great school and its pupils .
These emergency funds will go directly towards vital resources for this special school and positively have an impact on their pupils lives during the COVID 19 Pandemic.
We understand at the minute times are hard for everyone and I am only asking people to donate what they can afford. 💙
Thanks you so, so much for your kind support, it is appreciated more then you will ever know.
All the Best Marc,
Follow my story on Twitter and Instagram @marcmulholland
For more on St Gerard's great work please check out the link below:
