When it comes to selflessness, there’s few better stories you’ll read this week... thanks to a group of men who’ve made a special donation to the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.
Deciding not to keep the money they earned through the sale of their artwork and photography, the men unanimously decided to give every penny of the £506.05 raised to the kids charity in person.
Supported by homelessness support charity Simon Community and Community and Development post grad student, Jamie Titterton — Owen Docherty, Gerry Kiernan and Paul Gallacher are part of a group who sold a selection of their paintings and printed images online.
Despite being resident at the Simon Community homeless accommodation in Tollcross — where the cash would certainly come in handy for their own personal goals of settling into permanent accommodation — each was determined to see their sales, and added sponsorship, go directly to the kids at the hospital.
Sharing his own personal motivation for raising money for the children's hospital charity, Owen says: "My daughter was in hospital with problems with her heart valves for 18 months at the old Yorkhill Children’s Hospital.
“We were hoping the money would go toward toys for the kids to make them happier... for me the money couldn't go to a better place."
Recalling the spark that led to the creation of their artwork and photography, Gerry says: “Jamie set the programme up to get us all interested in artwork, photography, music and a bit of writing.
"He wanted to get to get us up and get our brains a bit better and our minds a bit clearer."
Gerry adds: “It gave us something to look forward to. There’s plenty of life in the images we took... and a little bit Glasgow and Scotland in them too."
Giving the creative trio an opportunity to see where their donation would make a difference, they were given a tour by the charity of the Royal Children's Hospital, joined by Jamie and Simon Community support worker, Billy McDonald.
During the tour, they took in the work of the hospital's world class services, which include a futuristic outpatient area designed in partnership with the Glasgow Science Centre.
Here youngsters are encouraged to join in with the interactive play walls while awaiting their appointments.
Also seen was the club house for teenagers; the Sanctuary, which offers a place for peace and contemplation; and lengths of inpatient corridors with their walls full of artwork stories by former Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson.
One room where the group was truly taken aback was in the 48-seat MediCinema — a beautifully designed space where young patients and their families can watch the latest movie releases.
At the end of the tour, an emotional Gerry admitted: “I’m totally amazed by it all. It’s really opened my eyes and blown my mind what the hospital does for the kids."
With over 173,000 children visiting the hospital every year, Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity's Chief Operating Officer, Kirsten Sinclair, shared her thanks to the group for their personal donation.
She says: "We’re incredibly grateful. We rely on supporters like Owen, Gerry and Paul, and everyone involved with the donation, to help us to make sure the hospital is in the best place than it can be for young people."
Sharing word of their own brighter futures, Owen, Gerry and Paul are all due to leave the Simon Community in Tollcross and move into their own accommodation, following news the charity's service in the area being set for closure in October.
Owen, who has been living at the Simon Community for the past two years, shares: "I'm looking forward to hearing exactly when I’ll move in the next three or four weeks.
"I'm over the moon. It's great as we're getting a lot of help with furniture and what we need to settle in when the time comes."
Gerry adds: "I've been at Simon Community since April this year and have had nothing but help since day one.
"It gave a lot of people a fright with the accommodation shutting down, but it just means we're moving onto permanent accommodation that wee bit quicker."
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