We have all had our 2020 plans thrown out the window into the nearest field: one of the events I was most looking forward to was my Camino Challenge for Diabetes Ireland in September. I haven’t done a fundraising event for a number of years and for many of those years, I’ve watched friends and family take on very physical, monumental challenges to raise funds for charitable causes: marathons, Kilimanjaro, even Everest, Mullaghmore (The Burren😳) and as I slowly let go of the hope that my camino challenge won’t go ahead this year there is a more pressing need for a fundraising event NOW.

Fundraising Needed Now

Diabetes Ireland’s fundraising has been absolutely decimated with all of the planned challenges being postponed. By the end of June, Diabetes Ireland will have an income shortfall of €500,000 and to help protect the future of Diabetes Ireland, ALL OF THE DIABETES IRELAND STAFF AGREED TO ACCEPT SALARY REDUCTIONS and are continuing to keep the helpline and online platforms open each day so we can support members of our diabetes community. 

Work to re-open the care centres to prepare the centres for social distancing and covid protection so that people with diabetes can resume their podiatry appointments, diabetes education, retina screenings, etc. is underway and they also have to invest in PPE for staff which is an expense they didn’t foresee - none of us did. 

If there was ever a time to let these guys and gals know that we are here for them so that they can continue to be there for us, it’s now!

June Bank Holiday 10K  #DonateToDiabetes challenge

My Camino is now the June Bank Holiday 10K  #DonateToDiabetes challenge. We are going to do it as a family over the three days all within our 5k restriction of our house. It would also be nice to connect online with anyone else participating for my own personal moral support. 

You can pretty much make up your own rules and complete a 10K walk, run or cycle. You can do it once or spread it over the weekend or split it with family and friends.

SIGN UP

If you can join me, sign up here or contact Diabetes Ireland via telephone: 01 8428118 or email info@diabetes.ie

DONATE

If you can’t join me I would very much appreciate a donation 🙏🏻 on my JustGiving fundraising page. 

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/grainne-flynn-donate2diabetes

** Some of you may have donated to my Fantastic Hubby’s Facebook Fundraiser last month so please ignore the request to donate.

Reasons to #DonateToDiabetes

Just incase you needed more convincing here are three more reasons to consider a small donation:

1. Thriveabetes would not have happened without the endless support from Diabetes Ireland,

2. Diabetes Ireland supports many of our support groups including ours in Clare

3. All the Diabetes Ireland staff have taken a pay cut for us 

My JuneBH10K Camino is a Pilgrimage Remembering People with Diabetes

I was really looking forward to this challenge because I was viewing it as the pilgrimage it’s intended to be. I intended to walk with other people with diabetes but to spend time thinking about all the people and friends with diabetes that I’ve met over the years who will never make this journey, especially those we have lost in recent years. In particular, one diabuddy friend who’s anniversary of her death is in June. 

I intend to do this and carry a list of names next to my heart of all these people with diabetes that I have met and are now no longer with us and remember them. If you would like me to remember someone please make a memorial donation and I’ll add them to my “heart list” and thoughts.

DONATE

If you can’t join me I would very much appreciate a donation 🙏🏻 on my JustGiving fundraising page. 

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/grainne-flynn-donate2diabetes

SIGN UP

You can sign up here or contact Diabetes Ireland via telephone: 01 8428118 or email info@diabetes.ie

https://www.diabetes.ie/fundraise-for-us/diabetes-ireland-10km-june-weekend-challenge/