A close shave:
ElectricAid's OctoberFest success
ELECTRAID
ElectricAid's OctoberFest proved to be a winner - not just in raising funds, but in spreading awareness of our work and in bringing in new members. We also had a lot of fun along the way, which is an important element of any enterprise in these troubled times!
Members from all over ESB and EirGrid took in the OctoberFest 24- hour Fast. Fasters and their generous supporters find real meaning in this gesture, which resonates so deeply with ElectricAid's mission. The resultant funds are still coming in - this has been a great success in raising finance and in raising awareness. Three emergency funding donations - to alleviate drought in Kenya, floods in India and earth quake damage in Sumatra - were made possible by OctoberFest funds.
One novelty this year was the 'Headers' - members who went bald or blonde for ElectricAid. These hardy souls risked their good looks and reputations - and came out triumphant, raising serious money for the poorest of the poor. On a more serious note, we had an excellent event in ESBI, where four beneficiaries of our funding explained to an enthralled audience the fantastic results achieved with relatively small amounts of ElectricAid funding. We signed up six new members from that audience!
The Giant ElectricAid Change Jar is still touring ESB - the jar is fully booked out to February hoovering up your small change stockpiles. During October- Fest alone, this jar took in €1,000.
One local event deserves special mention: the Halloween Hamper draw in Wilton, organised by the indefatigable Kay O'Keeffe, which raised a massive €1,100. This, and the support give to the Seisiún Mór trí Ghaeilge, is a massive testament to the generosity of our Cork members and supporters.
OctoberFest spread its wings as far as Tanzania, where Martin Campion and Damien Glennon of ESBI climbed Kilimanjaro on our behalf. One event that did not go ahead in the end was the Stand-Up Comedy night - but we still owe a massive debt of gratitude to Chris O'Neill of ICT Group for all his hard work in putting it together. Beidh lá eile again!
The Book/CD/DVD Sale in Head Office was a financial and sustainable success. It raised €2,700 and recycled 1.5 tonnes of paper, saving 10 trees! At the time of writing, one event remains - the Twin Peaks Walk, when HO Restaurant staff and friends will set off from Howth and Bray, and meet in SPORTSCO to recover - all for ElectricAid!
ElectricAid sincerely thanks all those who contributed in so many ways to the success of OctoberFest - by fasting, sponsoring, buying a book, organising an event, bringing in your old coins or DvDs, shaving, going to a session, dyeing, climbing, organising, publicising and by joining ElectricAid. Thank you one and all.
