Editorial - Aslan or Sandwich?

Raise and Give Week is an interesting phenomenon. We, as a student body, spend thousands of euro on running events, gigs and parties, and raise a few thousand more for some very special charities. I spoke to a local resident recently who didn’t know there was a charitable element to the debauchery that we students can get up to. And that made me think that maybe some of you also might miss that there are three wonderful, deserving charities out there that will benefit from RAG Week (if ye bother to put money in buckets, or throw some euro at the GoFundMe the SU has set up). Here’s some info about the three charities:

• Friendly Call Cork is a service that tries to tackle loneliness & isolation in the community. It is targeted toward people with chronic illnesses, the elderly and other people who may not be able to engage actively in the wider community. Volunteers call clients, ask them about their days and check to see if they’re okay.
• Meningitis Research Foundation is a group that performs research into better treatments of meningitis and septicaemia. Their past research has lead to greater public awareness about the signs & symptoms of meningitis, as well as furthering the quality of medical care for patients suffering with the disease.
• The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul is one of Ireland’s oldest & largest charities, having been in the country for over 170 years. SVP works to help those who experience poverty and exclusion. They have approximately 11,000 volunteers nationally, and provide homework clubs, exam revision courses, breakfast clubs and after school activities for children.

I would encourage all of you to dig a little deeper into these charities, learn their histories and the good that comes from the work they do.Last edition my editorial was entitled “the times they are a changin’” and for me, the times really have changed. I’ve been a dog person my entire life, had some fantastic pupper pets over the years, but this past week my family got our first cat. We adopted a 1-2 year old black cat. The CSPCA were not quite sure how old she is. They also didn’t know how she broke her jaw before she came to them, but by the time we walked through the door it had healed in such a way that she could eat & drink just fine, but has a cute (if dopey) look constantly on her face. My parents named her Aslan; me and my girlfriend prefer Sandwich. Either way, her dopey smile has properly melted my anti-cat heart, and that is something I never saw coming.