Please support a fantastic fundraising appeal by two of our members Ashley and Christopher McDonnell who are travelling to Cambodia this summer to help some of the poorest children in the world. Christopher was a member of our U15 boys 4x100m relay team who won National silver in 2011 while Ashley is one of our most successful athletes winning long jump and middle distance medals at National level including the National 600m title as an 11 year old in 2005 in an elite time of 1.44.5 and following this up with victory in the same event in the National Community Games. Ashley is currently a student in Paris where she trains with the Stade de France athletic club. Their brother Ryan is one of our up and coming athletes in the U10 age group!

There will be a collection point at the gate of the astroturf at athletics training today and Thursday to help their fund-raising appeal. All funds raised go directly to the charity. Hopefully all children could bring a euro with them to training to help out.

Read on for more details.  

My name is Ashley McDonnell. I’m a Dublin City University student, and past student of Craughwell National School and Presentation College Athenry, currently completing the second part of my business degree in France. This summer, my brother Christopher and I will be teaching English, computer and IT classes to some of the poorest children in the world, in the south of Cambodia.

We are hoping to bring some Irish cheer and happiness to the Takeo province, where running water and electricity are luxuries. We will be completely emerging ourselves in the entire culture by living with a Cambodian family during our month with the NGO Children with Hope for Development.

Before embarking on our trip, we have set ourselves the task of raising as much money as possible for the young NGO. Our aim is to raise enough money to buy 4 second hand laptops and to aid in the funding for the building of a new computer room for the school.

Living in Paris, it is very difficult to try and raise money for Children with Hope for Development from here, as the act of fundraising and giving is not embedded in the French culture as it is in Ireland. I am asking you if it would be possible to hold a no uniform day in aid of Children with Hope of Development. All money raised from the event will go directly to the charity, as we are covering the costs of travel, accommodation etc. ourselves. Any form of fundraising help whatsoever would be greatly appreciated, not only by me and Christopher but by all of the children and volunteers at Children with Hope for Development.

Any form of donation will bring the students from Children with Hope for Development one step closer to having access to an education that we as Irish people can take for granted, and we’d love if you could help make our goals a reality in raising these much needed funds.

Please find attached some information on Cambodia, detailing why exactly it is that this war torn country is desperately in need of teachers and foreign aid. For more information on Children with Hope for Development, their website is http://www.chdcambodia.org/.

Thanks for your time, looking forward to hearing back from you.