Sing it loud as James leads the good deeds and pandemic brings out the best of nation
SINGER and musician Gavin James is determined to do something to help in the face of an unprecedented crisis. Yesterday, he announced he would be performing a free show to raise money for Alone, the charity for older people.
He will be streaming live via YouTube tomorrow night at 8pm and will be encouraging his fans to make donations to the charity that supports the wellbeing of older people.
“I’m doing a little livestream from my gaff to raise awareness for Alone Ireland who are looking after all the old folks at the moment,” he said on Twitter.
“You can watch it for free but there will be a download link to donate whatever you can.
“I don’t know how long it will be, I’m just going to keep playing until we raise loads of money.”
Seán Moynihan, chief executive officer of Alone, told the Irish Independent that he was “blown away” with James’s kind gesture.
“It’s absolutely fabulous and very good of him,” he said.
“It just goes to show how people are coming up with really creative ways to help the vulnerable and elderly in our society.
“They want to do their best, not just for themselves, but for their neighbours and community.
“During these difficult times
I believe our kindness will be our legacy.”
Alone has launched a national support line and additional supports for older people who have concerns relating to the outbreak of Covid-19.
The support line is open Monday to Friday, 8am-8pm, by calling 0818 222 024.
Guinness announced the establishment of a €1.5m fund in support of communities that are affected by Covid-19 in Ireland.
The fund will give €1.2m towards struggling bar staff, alongside a further €300,000 to elderly vulnerable people via a partnership with Alone and its “befriending service”.
Oliver Loomes, country director of Diageo Ireland, said: “We have been supporting the licensed trade in the last week through what is an unprecedented period as we all work together to keep people safe through the closure of licensed premises across the country.”
Over the past few days, the good deeds and kindness which has been displayed by ordinary people has spread throughout the country much faster than any virus.
You don’t have to look far to see the irony of how self-isolation and social distancing is bringing more people closer together than ever before.
This month alone has seen well over €200,000 donated to numerous GoFundMe campaigns in support of those affected by Covid-19.
Among the most popular is the Feed the Heroes campaign, which has raised more than €145,000 to keep our healthcare staff fed as they work through this pandemic.
The #feedtheheroes movement was started by Cian O’Flaherty and Tad McAllister to give something back to healthcare workers.
It raised more than €80,000 in just three days and yesterday smashed the €145,000 mark.
The money is being used to buy takeaway meals that are delivered to hospitals.
Many restaurants have also donated food for free.
Among businesses who delivered food were Gotham Cafe, Chopped and Camile.
The Artist Emergency Relief GoFundMe campaign has also raised nearly €22,000 in a bid to help artists and performers struggling to cope financially at the moment.
According to a recent study, one-third of artists, performers and arts workers earn less than the minimum wage.
Organised by The Civic Theatre, Tallaght, the page ssays small grants of up to €500 will be paid rapidly on a first-come, first-served basis to affected artists and groups.
GoFundMe International director John Coventry has described the public’s generosity in recent weeks as “incredible”.
“While the spread of the coronavirus has brought uncertainty and concern to many communities – the early signs are that people are already coming together to make sure that health workers, people in less secure jobs and those who may have to selfisolate are looked after.
“It’s incredible to see people coming together already to do incredible things in the face of this unprecedented situation,” he said.