Daniel O’Reilly, a member of Monaghan Rotary Club is in the middle of The Arctic Challenge, an epic road trip to raise vital funds for Ireland’s largest paediatrics hospital.
Daniel, pictured left, will be joined by three other determined adventurers, who are taking on the 2,000 mile journey from Norway to the Arctic Circle, but there’s a twist – they’ll be doing it on 30-year-old Honda mopeds.
The Arctic Challenge is just one fundraising initiative being organised by Monaghan Rotary Club as part of their ‘Be A Gift To Crumlin’ campaign.
To date Rotary clubs across Ireland have almost reached the fundraising target of €65,000 required to completely renovate the Parents Accommodation Unit (PAU) at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin (OLCHC) in Dublin.
OLCHC treats children with a whole host of life-threatening diseases and illnesses including cancers, blood disorders, major burns and cystic fibrosis. Often children have to stay in the hospital for extended periods of time, putting a huge strain on their parents and carers.
The PAU relies entirely on donations to remain open and with the Rotary clubs’ help; it will be upgraded from an outdated facility to a new and improved 48 bedroom unit offering hot meals and comfortable overnight facilities neighbouring the OLCHC’s wards.
The team set off earlier this month and are scheduled to arrive on 20th September. Throughout the trip the riders’ skills and machines will be pushed to the limit by mountainous terrain and variable weather, which will include snow and sub-zero temperatures.
You can follow The Arctic Challenge team’s progress through daily updates on Facebook or on their blog.
Published: Thursday 15th September 2016
This week is the second Rotary Good News Week. Over the next five days, we’ll be celebrating five special stories from Rotary clubs and members from across Great Britain and Ireland.
To follow Rotary Good News Week, keep your eye on our Facebook and Twitter pages and use the hashtag #RotaryGoodNewsWeek to share your stories.
Read our other Good News Stories from this week below:
