Kilimanjaro & The Dublin Way - Trek for Charity

The challenge - this October our team (2 groups) are trekking Kilimanjaro 5895m and 42km of the Dublin Way. The Kilimanjaro group (Niall, Declan, Orla, Stephen, Conor, Sara, Beth & Ursula) will kick off Sat 21st and Finish on Sat 28th...then the second group (Jenny, Emer & Dee) will do all 42km on the 29th!!

The inspiration for this charity fundraiser is 2 of our daughters - Saoirse and Cara.

The Goal (ambitious) is to raise 5937euro (5895 + 42) for Down syndrome Centre & A Little Lifetime

Saoirse

Niall - Our daughter, Saoirse, was blessed with an extra copy of chromosome 21 which makes her extra cute and extra special! Saoirse is 2 years of age and she visits the Down syndrome Centre in Swords in North Dublin. We are raising much needed funds for the centre. The Swords centre only opened in 2022 and is truly amazing...its more than a centre...its a home away from home. Importantly, they provide essential Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and specialised programs for children and families with Down Syndrome. They do this with love, care and great passion.

Cara

Jenny - I was so incredibly touched when Niall and Declan asked me if it would be ok for them to raise funds in memory of Cara that straightaway I knew that even though I couldn’t make it to Kilimanjaro with them I wanted to do something here in Dublin to support their efforts and to hopefully raise a little extra funding for both charities. The Dublin Mountain Way is no Kilimanjaro but is a challenge for me at this time with fitness having declined a lot over the summer.

A Little Lifetime was the obvious charity for me. They have supported our family in so many ways since the loss of our beloved baby girl Cara in January 2022. They are a small charity but boy are they mighty and they welcomed me with open arms even though I was living 400km across the pond. It was their newly bereaved group that got me through those initial early days and it still brings me great comfort to know I can attend their monthly meetings or have a one to one chat with Peter their bereavement counsellor around anniversaries or difficult times. Something else I love about A Little Lifetime is the opportunities they give me to create new memories with Cara. As much as I value the photos, footprints and time we spent with her it I despaired at the time that that would be all we would ever have. Through their arts and crafts workshops A Little Lifetime have shown me the memories don’t stop when you leave the hospital and already I have created a whole range of beautiful pieces in tribute to our little girl.

It means so much to me that we are fundraising jointly for the Down Syndrome Centre which provides such wonderful support to Saoirse and all the Kennys. While it breaks my heart that our two little ladies, born weeks apart will never get to play together it makes me so proud that Cara can still support her buddy Saoirse in other ways and that she continues to have such an impact on every one around her. Cara was always our troublemaker baby and with Saoirse’s cheeky smile these two little girls would have been unstoppable together.

All funds raised will be split 50:50 between these two great charities which are dear to our hearts. These funds will help 100s of families when they need it most.

All donations, large or small, are gratefully accepted! So too, is your moral support as we climb the highest mountain in Africa and trek the mountains of the Dublin Way in Ireland!

Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa

The Dublin Way, Ireland