Belgium G.A.A. and FC Irlande raise over €60.000 for victims of Haiti quake

Brussels residents Irene Kirwan, Margaret Francois and Philip Roche were active participants in a fundraising event for the relief of distress in Haiti. 
 
On Saturday 31st January 2010, de Valera’s Irish Pub in Place Flagey, Brussels, hosted a fundraising event like no other, raising over €60.000 which has been sent to the victims of the devastating earthquake which hit the nation of Haiti earlier in the month. The fundraising event was spearheaded by two Irish sports clubs in Brussels, FC Irlande (men and women’s soccer) and Belgium GAA (men and women’s gaelic football, hurling/camogie) who came together, with the help of very generous sponsors, to raise money in aid of two charities working on the ground as part of the Haiti relief effort. Two of the clubs’ players are personally involved with the two charities, which are Médécins Sans Frontiers (MSF) and Haven Partnership.

With just under two weeks to prepare for the event, roughly 100 volunteers went straight to work in many different ways – preparing posters and handing out flyers, organising a karaoke contest (the equipment for which was provided free of charge), a tombola, collecting items for an auction, posing for and creating charity calendars, baking cookies and so on…Numerous club volunteers also held collections in the European Parliament and raised a staggering amount from the generous political folk of Place Luxembourg.

In addition to the willingness of the club volunteers, de Valera’s played a huge role in the final sum of money raised, offering to donate every euro taken in on the day to the cause, as well as the staff generously agreeing to work for free. Furthermore many of the bar’s suppliers (Vizyon, Anthony Martin, Alken-Maes, de Wit, Makady, Banken, Coca-Cola,) agreed to supply their products for free on the day. Despite the arctic temperatures, which meant that sporting activities on the day itself had to be postponed, fundraising efforts were re-directed elsewhere, selling calendars and tombola tickets in various locations around Brussels in the hope of raising as much as possible before nightfall.

The pub was full to capacity on the night itself – with large crowds of people parting generously with their money as they participated in and listened to what can only be described as a group of ‘mixed ability’ karaoke contestants, as well as bidding for various auction items. When all was done and dusted at 5am, the sheer magnitude of the evening’s success came to light, with owner and manager of the pub Conchur de Barra (also a Haven volunteer) being ‘flabbergasted’ at just how much had been donated. Not only this, but following on from discussions with his business partners it was agreed to double the amount of money raised, an astonishingly generous gesture which resulted in over €60.000 being donated to Haiti – an amazing result. We do not yet have an exact figure, as money continues to be given through calendars sales, anonymous donations and further collections, all of which will continue to be sent to Haiti.

Both MSF and Haven have replied and expressed their gratitude for the generous donations, indicating in detail what their role in the relief effort involves, and how the money we have donated will be used.