Alison Curtis: Walking my daughter through life's lessons with a charity 5k

"This does seem a serious and heavy topic for me to share with a nine-year-old, but I have made a point of discussing this with Joan over the past number of years, and of maturing the conversation as she matures."

Alison and her daughter, Joan, are walking 5km a day for 10 days in aid of charity.

You know when an idea hits you fully formed, you sometimes wonder where it came from. That happened to me the other night, over dinner. Just as I was about to tuck in to the food, I blurted out to my daughter, Joan, that we should walk 5km a day for charity.

Joan just kind of looked at me and then I explained that it had been a while since I had raised money for charity and that it would be even better if it was her project.

I immediately thought of partnering with Barnardos, a charity for which I have been an ambassador for six years. 

Together, Joan and I quickly came up with the idea of calling her donation page 'Joan's 5 a Day', and then we agreed that a commitment of walking the 5km every day for the first 10 days of February was very doable.

So, we set up Joan's own GoFundMe page that night, mapped out a few 5km routes, and she went to bed buzzing at the thought of raising money for children in need.

The next day, I spoke about the walk on my radio show and though I had known that the generosity of Irish people is remarkable, I had barely finished telling the listeners about it when the donations came pouring in.

We originally set a goal of €250 for Joan to reach, but that was passed within the first day.

Next, I really wanted Joan to understand what it was that she was raising funds for. Joan had a good idea of what Barnardos do, as, for the past few years, she and I have put together packages at Christmas for families in need. 

And I have told her all about the Barnardos centres around the country and how they help the most vulnerable children to have a place to learn and play, as well as a safe space where they can count on being for a few hours each day, with  guaranteed meals.

When the donations came in, I explained to Joan that she would have enough money to buy food for one centre for a week. 

As more came in, I told Joan that we might have enough for two centres for a week and, as yet more came in, I said that maybe bedding could be bought for some families, or a weekly shop, and so on.

Another thing I spoke to her about is how, now more than ever, it is important that Barnardos and other charities get to continue with the work that they do. 

During the pandemic, especially, vulnerable children are potentially missing out on a morning meal that they would have been given in school. They are missing out on time in a place where they were not only safe, but socially and emotionally stimulated. Time spent with peers, and time spent with teachers and other professionals (who were able to check in on them and monitor their well being) was good for the children.

This does seem a serious and heavy topic for me to share with a nine-year-old, but I have made a point of discussing this with Joan over the past number of years and of maturing the conversation as she grows up.

So, this year and over the next few days, I feel it is so important that Joan and I have taken on this challenge. It is a great way to get daily exercise (for both of us), but it is giving her a great sense of purpose and pride. But, most of all, it is going a little way towards maintaining the essential services that Barnardos provide to vulnerable families across Ireland.