What a great time we had at our Open Day for Ukraine in Ballinaglera Community Hall! All involved in GEAI – volunteers, directors and friends will remember it with great satisfaction. Not least because it turned out, as well as being a highly successful fundraiser, to be an occasion for our local community to come together over cups of tea to chat and resume normal relations after two years of the pandemic.
A great variety of activities took place during the day, including car boot sale, cake sale, face-painting and art for children and, of course, our monster raffle!
The car-boot sale was a revelation. It’s always amazing to see the kind of goods local people can find to sell. From antiques and paintings to hand-made hats, only during this kind of event you can find such a diverse collection of goods! It’s great to see that people can share their work with locals.
We also prepared a set of events for our younger guests. Children had an opportunity to take part in our treasure hunt, look for sweets in fields, and had a face-painting session.
Residents of Ballinaglera, GEAI directors and its European volunteers produced cakes and managed the cake sale. Our Chairperson, Janice, did a great job of selling cakes and buns and the cake sale raised nearly €300.
The raffle was the highlight of the day, but before its official start we paused to hear the story of Olga, GEAI’s previous volunteer who’s now living in New Zealand and works as an architect. Her story of strength, as she fled Ukraine in 2014 and found a new home in Ireland, and from there ended up in the Southern Hemisphere, was truly inspiring. Let it be a reminder for all of us, that in the end we can overcome anything together. (Or as they say in Irish, “Ar scath a chéile a mhaireann na daoine.”)
Going back to the raffle – the generosity of local business people was truly inspiring. We ended up with over 30 prizes, from hampers to radios to bottles of spirits and wine. Believe it or not, our raffle made €500, a testament to our local small community.
A live music session marked an end to this enjoyable and successful day. Local musicians enjoyed the opportunity to entertain the attendees and were greatly appreciated by those present.
The goal of this event was to raise funds to support Ukraine and her people in these dire times, as both GEAI and the people of Ireland are strongly against war (or any aggression) as an instrument of foreign policy. We are happy to announce that we were able to raise €900! This money is going to Ukraine to support the paramedics on the ground and those now fleeing the east of Ukraine as it comes under such bombardment.
GEAI’s European volunteers did a great job in preparing this event. They immersed themself fully in the community, speaking with local businesses and potential donors. During the Open Day itself, they worked hard to provide the best support possible to those who supported our efforts.
In the end, we would like to thank all businesses that supported us with raffle prizes and refreshments.
Written by: Ilya Linevich