How a one-off run became this great fundraising event
SOMEONE asked me last year just after the start of the race, how or why I had got involved in the organisational side of the Hope & Dream Race. It wasn’t difficult to give a reason as I had just stepped off the stage on to the now semi-deserted start area.
I had once again witnessed one of the most exiting emotional, spectacular events of the year. Looking down on that mass of runners, walkers, buggy pushers and spectators and the sea of pink with most of them proudly wearing their pink T-shirts, all those packed together, it was more like a very large tapestry covering a large area of the prom.
The music, the noise, the laughter and the enthusiasm being whipped up by Liam Sharky from South East Radio was exhilarating, and the look on the participants faces, happy, excited, and glowing, it was a sight to behold. Of course they all had their own personal reasons for being part of the event, some had or were going through cancer treatment, some had a family member, or friend going through the same also in some cases had lost someone close, be it family or friend. Others too would have their own reasons, be it mind or body.
At the end of the day they were there to raise funds for the Hope Centre and also for the charity which we always nominate as part of this major fundraising event. Being part of that is one of the reasons why I feel privileged to play a small part of making this day a success.
For the past two years we have had the Wexford Cancer Homecare as our Charity Partners and of course both charities complement each other and do sterling work in the community.
This year they are on board again also the Friends of Wexford Hospital who are raising funds for the new MRI sanner, this when its up and running will be a huge asset to Co. Wexford and surrounding areas in the early detection and diagnoses of suspected cancers, as early treatment is a key to a successful outcome.
This will be the seventh year of the fundraising event. You may not know the story of how it first started. It was intended to be a one-off event organised by the three amigos, i.e. John, Tom and Alan, to raise funds for the Hope Cancer Centre. It was such a success that they decided to give it another go and another go which made three in a row. At this point due to work, business and other commitments they decided that it was time to hand the baton over to others
At this point Michael Jordan, who is one of the Hope Centre directors, decided to take on the task of race director, and although he realised the enormity of the job, his enthusiasm was infectious. He had one ace up his sleeve: Denise, the Hope Centre secretary. She had organised all of the race preparations for the previous three races. Her commitment and skills were of the highest standard which took a lot of pressure off the rest of the committee.
Michael built a new team around himself, some existing members, and some new.
I was privileged to be one of those asked to stay on board. On the team he chose a small number of people who had different skills in key areas who had experience in organising events of this nature which seemed to work well, this took some of the pressure off him and gave him that extra space to cover all of the responsibilities which he was tasked with as race director.
This worked very well, and is the formula which is still used today and makes the event run smoothly.
It will be 20 years next year since the fist meeting took place in Murphy Floods Hotel by a small number of same-minded people who had been touched by cancer and a number of other interested people who came to the conclusion that it would be a good idea to have a drop-in centre in Enniscorthy for people who were touched by cancer to come together and discuss their worries over a cup of tea – now look where we are today.
We have one of the finest and professional centres in the whole of the country. All services are free to those who need them.
Most of the funding comes from so many different fund raising events which would be impossible to mention them all. There are a lot of good people out there who are prepared to give up their time and their money that it is a testament to the people of Co. Wexford in the way they see and value the Centre.
A lot of people put in a lot of work to keep the show on the road and long may it last and to everyone of those I would like to say a very big Thank You.
As Tom Leacy, one of the centre’s clients, now sadly passed away, once said: ‘If we do nothing, nothing will happen.’
(By Joe and Kay O’Regan)