UCC students begin unprecedented charity initiative | Tracy Nyhan

First year Medicine students, Darragh Grace (19), Chris Reidy (18), Dan Coffey (19), Brian O’Mahony (18) and Donnacha Hogan (19) from different areas in Cork, Waterford and Limerick, have begun a unique project in order to raise awareness and raise money for charities. Their initiative, called ‘5.5.5 Charity Challenges’, aims to raise €500,000 in five years for five different charities; Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, Crumlin Children’s Hospital, Pieta House, The Irish Cancer Society and Autism Ireland.The ‘5.5.5 Charity Challenges’ group has received “amazing” support for their cause so far and has proved popular online. At the time of writing this article, their Facebook page has garnered just under 1,000 ‘likes’ since its creation on January 13 - not just from their classmates and others from UCC but from people all over the country and from different colleges.For the group, creating awareness for their chosen charities is just as important as raising money and so, through a series of promotional videos, the students will strive to promote the causes of each of the five charities, including the destigmatization of suicide. The project began while making a “bucket list of challenges which would push us to the limits physically mentally and emotionally, from breaking world records to cycling across Europe and everything in between”. As medicine students, they chose five medically related charities, some of which are “prevalent in our society especially among people our age”. Inspired by the struggles of sufferers across the globe, the group felt that if they showed the same “drive, determination and courage…we could inspire others to join and become part of a movement where we change the lives of individuals and communities for the better”.When asked what they expect to achieve on a personal level they responded: “At the end of the five years we hope to have learned about what drives and motivates us, what pushes us to do more and what makes us who we are. As future medical professionals we all have that drive to help others and this is just our first step on that journey. The challenge is not to complete everything and put it behind us in five years’ time but to develop it so that we continue to push ourselves and others to be the best and do the best they can in everyday life. We want to start building a path for others, so that they can see that anyone can do anything - no matter how difficult it might seem - once they put their mind to it”.The group will partake in challenges, some of which will be small and raise minimal amounts but they are aware that “every euro counts”. Larger challenges will require the involvement of as many people as possible to raise the target amount of €500,000. Describing themselves as “ambitious…five motivated, determined and persistent lads who are up to the challenge”, they believe that their target amount is achievable.Their plans for the next five years are being discussed, with many charity cycles already being planned, as well as themed events (on Valentine’s Day they want 2000 people to perform CPR while wearing a fake moustache, for which they will require volunteers), fashion shows, a Christmas charity single among other events. For maximum impact, the group stress the importance of involvement from everyone interested in raising awareness and much needed money for charity – being a student is not a prerequisite. Their events, such as their upcoming Valentine’s Day event and their cycle in March, will require mass participations and will rely on the donations of the Irish population to determine the outcome. Details on how to get involved will be published on their Facebook page.The 5.5.5 group strongly encourage everyone concerned in making a difference to the work of the chosen charities to get involve in their initiative. They stress that the project is not focused on any one individual or even just their group; its aim is “to make everyone feel part of something bigger [because], while it’s run by five individuals it is only as a collective that we will achieve our goals”. They welcome people to join in on their challenges and to take the “chance to make a difference, to be the change you wish to see in the world, to inspire”. Those who wish to make a donation may do so at the events which will be publicised on their social media accounts.For more information and links to their other sites, visit Facebook (www.facebook.com/#!/AdventuresForLife/info) or Twitter (@555challenges).