Bound for building blitz in Kenya

AN Ennis woman will be joining her best friend on the adventure of a lifetime in Africa next year. Local Rachael Tierney along with Lisa Duncan from Cork are planning on joining the Niall Mellon Trust’s building blitz in Kenya in October 2014. While there, they will join a team of volunteers helping to build a new 20-classroom school for Kenyan children.

The pair both have to raise €4,500 before embarking on the trip and next weekend they will be hosting a table quiz in Ennis in a bid to get the fundraising started.

The table quiz will take place in Lucas’ back bar on Friday, August 2, at 8.30pm. According to Rachael, they are both really looking forward to heading off on the week-long building project.
Both Rachael and Lisa met at Cork Institute of Technology, where Rachael studied graphic design and Lisa, marketing. She explained that Lisa came up with the idea of going to Kenya after hearing about Niall Mellon and the work he and the volunteers have been doing over the years.

“She was my housemate in college and we became close friends. We both do a lot of charity fundraising and when she told me about Niall Mellon and that she was going to Kenya I said, ‘I’ll go with you and help out if I can raise the money’. We’ll be so very proud coming home and knowing these children have a good education with the new school.”

While Rachael has been involved in lots of fundraisers over the years, this is the first time that the 22 year old has taken on a challenge of this scale.
“We will be joining the volunteers to build schools for Kenyan children in need of an education, to help them realise their full potential. I’ve always been involved with charities, anything I can do really.

“Just last week I was at a fun run in Cork for the local hospice. I just love getting involved and doing things for the good of others. When you do something good for people in need you get a good feeling from it. To see them doing well and to know that you have done something for them,” she said.

“I’ve never done anything on this scale, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve spoken to a few people at work about it and they have friends who have gone over.

“I’m getting lots of positive feedback about what the experience of going over there was like, but I’ll just take it as it comes. We have seen a DVD of it and just to see the smiles on those little kids faces is lovely. My dad is a bit worried but I’m ready to go. I just can’t wait to get out there.”

The table quiz is just one of the many fundraisers being planned by the pair in the run up to the big trip. “We have to raise €4,500 so there is a lot more events coming up. We are planning speed-dating, bag-packing, we have lots of plans. As well as doing fundraising in Ennis we will be having events in Cork and Lisa’s homeplace Cobh,” said Rachael.