Cork man runs around his garden for 14 hours and raises €20k for charity
Some 80 families are set to benefit after a marathon fundraising effort from a local entrepreneur.
Dan Sweeney ran around his back garden continuously for 14 hours. He set himself the target of raising €5,000 but the public interest saw him hit a whopping €20,000.
The money raised will go towards supporting people staying in Edel House, B&Bs and other emergency accommodation during the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr Sweeney has donated the money to Good Shepherd Cork (GSC), which runs the services.
GSC runs Edel House emergency shelter, Redclyffe family hub B&B outreach services, Riverview, a residential centre for teenage girls who are out of home, Bruac, an education project for young women who are out of school, long-term supported housing and, through its support & advocacy service, supports vulnerable women in the community.
On any one night, there are typically 25 families and 20 single women in GSC emergency accommodation, with upwards of 50 families being supported by the B&B outreach team.
The funds raised by the 'Dawn at the Lawn' initiative will be used to purchase food vouchers for vulnerable families during the Covid-19 crisis, in addition to providing arts and crafts packs, and educational and play materials for children to occupy them during the crisis.
Speaking about the ‘Dawn at the Lawn’ initiative, Allison Aldred, CEO, Good Shepherd Cork, said, "We are delighted that Dan’s fundraising efforts have elicited such a fantastic response from the public. The money raised will allow us to support up to 80 families currently living in our emergency accommodation, B&Bs and self-catering accommodation here in the city. The Covid-19 outbreak has resulted in unique challenges to vulnerable families and we are incredibly grateful to Dan for all his efforts on our behalf."
Mr Sweeney, from Bishopstown, is the co-owner of the Play Creative agency and is a digital marketing expert.
Speaking about his run, he said, "I am always only delighted to help in any way I can for Edel House. The times we are in prove that we all need to come together, support and be there for each other. I think we saw that in abundance in terms of how people supported the 'Dawn at the Lawn' initiative.”
This isn't the first time Mr Sweeney has attracted headlines for his fundraising efforts for Edel House.
Late last year, he ran an ultra-marathon - around the Lough in Cork city. Overall, he ran 100km, circling the Lough some 91 times in 24 hours in wind and rain to raise more than €20,000.
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