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The quiz went incredibly well on Tuesday night and we raised a grand total of £430.
I’ll admit to being pretty nervous before the start as it was a pretty miserable night as well as Belfast’s Christmas tree light switch on. I needn’t have worried though as around 60-70 people showed up to give their support and we had a great night together.
Once again I want to call out the generosity of the local businesses who donated to our ballot especially at their busiest time of year and to Carrick Sailing Club who hosted the event for us.
My youth club Carrickfergus Junior Gateway is holding a fund-raising pub quiz at Carrick Sailing Club on Tuesday 24th November. All are welcome to attend and ticket prices are £3 each with maximum team sizes of 5 people. The quiz starts at 8pm and I would love to see you there.
In other youth club related news we currently have places available for membership to the club. More details can be found on the site or by contacting me directly.
In November 1997 a shy fourteen year old girl noticed a poster in the corridor of her school advertising volunteer vacancies at a youth club for children with special needs. She was curious about the idea has she had never done anything like that before and with a friend agreed to go to a talk about the club. The day of the talk dawned bright and clear however the girl was too ill to go to school that day and missed the talk entirely. Fortunately her friend had gone and liked the idea of the club so they agreed to visit. The fates conspired on that day as well and the club was closed for Halloween. Not to give up though they agreed to try again the following week.
The next Saturday got off to a better start as the club was in full session when they arrived. They were introduced to the Leader in Charge of the day, Joe Burns, and were given a guided tour of the club. It all seemed like great fun with a social area, art and craft room, pool tables and a sports hall but slightly overwhelming as well as there was a lot of people in the club but everyone seemed really friendly. It was also the first time that anyone had shortened her name, she’d never been called Jackie before and it rang strangely in her ears.
Over the following weeks they settled into the club routine and began enjoying themselves, helping out in the art room but still keeping to themselves. After about a month or so, the girl’s friend decided that Gateway wasn’t for her and decided to leave. The girl found it strange that all of the members continued to ask after her friend even a couple of weeks after she had left, as she hadn’t thought that they had made much of an impact, they had mainly kept to themselves. The girl was in two minds- to stay and try and help out even though she knew no one there, or to leave as well. It seemed a decision was looming…
After a couple of days mulling it over the decision to stay seemed like the right one to make. It seemed daft to leave just because her friend had and being on her own was forcing her to make friends with the other leaders and the members. As time went on her confidence grew and she knew that she had made the right decision to stay.
The years at the club started to pass and the girl, who was nearly always called Jackie now thanks to Gateway/school cross links, developed as a stronger person. She went on first aid courses, volunteer training weekends and spoke about the club almost everywhere she went. Her experience even helped her gain her first part time job as she was able to talk about her time with the club.
Many things changed in Jackie’s life: her education continued to expand as she studied her gcses, a-levels then graduated from university, her part time jobs changed from Eason to Tesco, but Gateway remained a steady constant in her life. Sure leaders and members came and went but it became an escape from the rest of life. To think that all those years ago she was going to leave. Think what she would have missed out on.
At one Gateway meeting several years ago someone suggested sending letters about our club to the various special needs schools in our area, letting them know that we existed and asking if they would mind passing the word onto their pupils and parents. One of our leaders at the time, a special needs teacher herself, urged caution as parents who found out about the club via their school might feel as if we had been vetted by the school in some way lending an air of affiliation with gateway that the school could not uphold. Taking the point onboard it was decided to leave the idea at that and move on.
Recently the conversation has re-entered my mind as two special needs schools have separately contracted me asking for information on Gateway and one has went as far as publishing my details in their Christmas bulletin, which has already resulted in being contacted by an interested parent.
I am overjoyed at the interest that is currently spreading about Gateway especially as it all seems to be word of mouth- the highest recommendation there is. I hope it will continue for years to come but the words of my friend years ago remains fresh and therefore I will continue to have an open door for people to contact me rather than actively seeking attention- it seems to be working so far!
8 sleepy leaders and 15 hyperactive children made for a great ten pin bowling trip this week. With many of the members practicing the week before on the club’s new wii and the distraction of the game machines dotted around the bowling lanes we knew that we would have our hands full. We weren’t wrong.
Our timings were almost too perfect and we arrived in Glengormley with half an hour before the bowling venue opened. Never to miss an opportunity to visit MacDonalds next door we piled in to drinks all round. Some of the more sensible leaders went with tea and coffee and with the morning being so cold I don’t blame them. Just as our members started to get restless the bowling alley opened and we were able to get the lanes set up.
The great thing with having lots of leaders at the moment is that I was able to sort out some lunch with the venue’s cafe safe in the knowledge that everything else was being sorted. When I arrived back everything was in full swing and I was able to join in the fun at my own lane. It was great to see the more able members helping out the less able and there was serious competition brewing among the older members, all good natured of course.
All too soon the hour was up and it was time for lunch. I had ordered chips and drinks and the bowling alley were kind enough to let us eat down by the lanes so there was plenty of room for everyone. Once finished and after a game or two of air hockey it was time for home again.
This has to be one of the first trips that I’ve organised where everything has went to plan and to schedule. I can only thank the leaders with me for that. All round a really successful day.
