YESTERDAY morning, a group of Celtic FC Foundation volunteers set off from Celtic Park, bound for Heathrow Airport and then on to Blantyre Malawi, via Ethiopia. There’s a very long journey ahead but the group were in fantastic spirits as they look forward to a life-changing experience.
The 16 magnificent volunteers are: Mark Cameron, John Cassidy, Dannika Drain, Laura Gaffney, Rachel Kelly, Niall Keogh, Sean Kirwan, Mairi McAslan, Stevie McComiskie, Erin McGeough, Carol McGurin, Derek Noonan, Kathleen Noonan, Lynn Tennent, Gerald White, Kiera White.
The 10-day volunteer work placements in Blantyre will be provided by Mary’s Meals and involve the renovation/redecoration of a number of schools to improve the learning environment for the children, plus assistance with the feeding programme. There will also be plenty of opportunities to interact with the local children.
Celtic FC Foundation is a registered Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (number SC024648) and we strive to honour the charitable principles and heritage of Celtic Football Club. We aim to respond to the needs of disadvantaged children, young people and adults in our local communities to improve Health, promote Equality, encourage Learning and tackle Poverty.
We do this through the delivery of a series of key needs-led projects, which are funded through a number of grants and awards, together with a calendar of fundraising events and initiatives.
We are honoured to work with Mary’s Meals, a global movement who provide one daily meal in a place of learning to attract chronically poor children into a classroom where they receive an education that can, in the future, be their ladder out of poverty. It costs just £13.90 to feed a child for a whole school year. Mary’s Meals began feeding 200 children in Malawi in 2002. Today, they are feeding over 1,000,000 children every school day.
Our Celtic FC Foundation volunteers (who must be aged 18+) have covered the cost of the trip but have also raised a minimum of £1,000 for Celtic FC Foundation. This will support our work overseas with Mary’s Meals in Blantyre and also at home where we assist those facing poverty and disadvantage.
The trip is being operated by Travel Management Group plc (TMG) ATOL 3316.
Very special thanks must go to Club sponsor, Intelligent Car Leasing, who have donated and organised return travel for the group between Celtic Park and London Heathrow Airport. This is invaluable to Celtic FC Foundation and will have a significant impact on our fundraising efforts.
If you would like to get behind the charitable efforts of the group, you can support them HERE
Thank you for making a difference.
To register your interest in future volunteer trips overseas, please email [email protected] or call 0141 551 4321.
