NUIG students travel all over the world to raise money
A number of NUI Galway students have gone around the world in 36 hours to raise money for selected charities, Amnesty International, St. Vincent De Paul and Draíocht.
As part of a national awareness charity event known as Jailbreak, students competed over the weekend to get as far away from their starting point as possible.
The catch was that they were not permitted to spend any of their own money and had to seek help from kind strangers and sponsors.
Jailbreak 2014 was officially launched in the Great Hall in Kilmainham Gaol, Europe’s largest abandoned jail, on Saturday 22nd February at 9am. Seeing as Jailbreak is a national event, the participants were allowed to choose to start from Kilmainham Gaol, Cork Gaol or Eyre Square.
Seventy-five teams from four Irish universities – UCC, Trinity College, NUI Galway and UCD – competed in Ireland’s largest, most ambitious and craziest student charity event, raising almost €35,000 between them.
There were 17 NUI Galway teams, raising €6,509 between them and travelling to the likes of the UK, France, Switzerland, Italy, Norway, Hungary, Czech Republic, Turkey, and Tenerife. But the Galway team to go the furthest was Sean Kearns and Aoife Ní Shúilleabháin who are currently in Bali.
“Our adventure has been amazing. We did our whole jailbreak in wedding dresses to promote marriage equality and have gotten a fantastic response with them. From free taxis, beers, dinners and surf lessons to sponsored flights, it truly has been amazing,” said Sean Kearns, Students’ Union President in NUI Galway.
Aoife Ní Shúilleabháin, Oifigeach na Gaeilge in NUI Galway Students’ Union said; “It’s been an adventure that we will never forget and I’ve been amazed by the support and encouragement back home. Míle buíochas gach éinne.”
On their 12,839km journey, Sean and Aoife have raised a total of €900 and they hope to make that well over €1,000 before the deadline on 1 March, and encourage everyone to keep the donations coming.
The winning team came from Trinity College and managed to get to Sydney just in time to clock 17,233km in 36 hours. But the pair only managed to raise €336 for the chosen charities. But despite being beaten and nabbing second place in the competition, Sean and Aoife are hugely proud of €900 they have raised along their journey.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.