After last week’s Celtic Foundation bucket collection at Celtic Park, my 12-year-old, who was collecting, was amazed that someone put a £20 note in his bucket. He wanted to know why people do things like that.
There are lots of possible reasons. It’s the right thing to do, there are many in our community who are need, and who we would happily help if they were standing beside us. A lot has to do with upbringing, not everyone believes fraternal help services the common good, but for some, it’s part of their core values. More precisely, it’s part of the values they acquired when they took to do with their football club.
In the early decades of Celtic Football Club, people literally ‘clubbed’ together to build the first, and then second, Celtic Park, mostly without pay. An informal collection of labourers dug foundations and shovelled earth to create bankings. Many got involved years after Walfrid left for pastures news, but the way in which the community claimed ownership of the club, without actually owning a share, of course, gave you and me an enormously privileged heritage.
We have a back narrative which most 21st century organisations could never dream of attaining.
I know that £20 is a lot of money to put into a bucket, but this year I’ve seen many people do this, and so much more, in the name of Celtic.
A year ago the CQN community told Mary’s Meals that we would build a school kitchen for them in Malawi. We booked the Kerrydale Suite for CQ10 and hoped we could sell more than 30 tickets. The night was sold-out and you raised over £23,000. Before the night was finished the two guys from Mary’s Meals knew they had enough money to build three school kitchens!
The money was soon put to action, all three kitchens were completed by May. Each day over 2000 primary-age children eat what is often their only meal of the day in a facility you paid for, prepared with utensils you bought.
The UN reckon Malawi is the 17th poorest country on the planet, but it is fertile for development work. 93% of the money raised by Mary’s Meals reaches the target communities. The kids being fed in CQN kitchens for the last 7 months are heavier and healthier than before. School attendance has increased by over 30%, so kids who previously had to labour for food are now getting an education instead.
They will have better life-choices as adults and more of them will be alive long enough to become adults.
The CQNers who started our charity activities nearly a decade ago are the golfers, they did so again in July, then there was the runners, the badge collectors and the many who were just touched by one story or another and stepped forward.
One of the reasons many of you should be proud of yourself is the Kano Foundation. Kano – Martin Kane – was one of the original CQNers, who got up in the middle of the night in Perth W. Australia to watch his team, and argue with his pals on here. When he suffered an enormously debilitating illness a community grew up around him, which became the Kano Foundation, and has since brought thousands of kids to see Celtic.
This week we learned Kano is seriously ill in hospital, so the seasonal cheer is tempered.
Whatever your memories of 2014 are, they will also be tempered by the challenges Wee Oscar and his family went through. I know there are people who made an enormous difference to his life who first read about him here. The stories of the work they put in will never be told, because that’s the way they want it, but they made a profound impact on the world.
2015 has a hard act to follow, but we’ve told Mary’s Meals we’ll build them another school kitchen, and we’ve just told Celtic to book the Kerrydale Suite for Friday 13th March for CQ11. It’s St Patrick’s weekend, it’s League Cup Final weekend and it’s the week of the 50th anniversary of Jock Stein taking over; it has the making of a memorable night…..
Why do people put £20 into a bucket, why do thousands give anonymously throughout the year, why do hundreds go above and beyond the call of duty? If you think Celtic is a football club, you’ve not been paying attention. It is the most powerful social movement most of us will ever become involved with.
It’s an absolute pleasure to be part of the family and humbling to see it in action.
Have a great Christmas, you deserve it.
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Thanks Paul67 for CQN.
Happy Christmas to all CQNers and families.
Happy birthday to the greatest name ever
STEPHEN
Nello Nello Nello!
T4
Belated merry Christmas to all on CQN. Just had a fantastic day with the family with the exception of my boy. Looking forward to Saturday’s game and may see some of you in the Kerrydale after game as we wait for the traffic to clear.
Mags,
ye doin comrade?
Kevj, to accompany ye roon the track tae the highest point at the jungle and hoist the tricololour?
Must admit I’ve always been a Griffiths fan.
Should’ve been given more of a chance but sayin that the service to any of our strikers is pretty poor imho
margaret mcgill
Ya trollop you are. :-)))))) Merry Christmas to you too. Lol.
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
The Spirit of Arthur Lee
00:05 on 26 December, 2014
:)
Even the tricolour?
Wee Fra,how ye doin pal ?
You’re up late the night.
You going to the game on Sat ?
Silly question I suppose.
Tricoloured Ribbon
00:08 on 26 December, 2014
Good King Wenceslas got the munchies on the feast of Stephen
‘Do you want your usual? Deep pan, crisp and even?’
Come on maggie and kevj what ye been achieven?
Well good sirs and hun fakirs we’re just no believen
The Sevco live on.
As long as there is a flicker of them, they are not dead.
Tricoloured Ribbon,mibbe no quite dead yet but no far off it.
lingerin death is better
Mags,
3-5-2.
Gordon
Fisher Virgil Izzaguire
Forrest Brown Johansen Bitton Stokes
Guidetti Griffiths
6-0
timbhoy in spain
Just retiring to ma cot now, and, yes, a silly question, of course I’m going on Saturday. How you doing kiddo, I hope you had a lovely Christmas with your family. Will talk further tomorrow. KTF. :-)))
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
Wee Fra,Doin great out here,just miss the Tic,see all the games but no the same as live.
Might still call on you in February mate.
Timbhoy..
No chance they are deid pal.
timbhoy in spain
Looking forward to that young mhan. :-)))) Will be a pleasure. :-) Sooo pleased you had a great day, as we had with the family. Ghod bless.
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
Tricoloured Ribbon, please ,don’t spoil ma fun.
I’ve watched them cheat us fur 60 years
but the last 3 years have been great & ah hope it goes on for a while yet.
Cheatin hurtin scumbags.
Hail Hail.
Mornin Timland from a freezing hun free mountain valley.
Hope you all had a wonderful time with your familys.
Mrs TET made an amazing spread today, a Christmas Curry, superb it was, had a couple of friends up, they humped us at Trivial Persuits, winkers :)
I was like a wean today, got a piece of the turf from Paradise, and am having a paving stone laid on the Celtic Way, gifts that I could only dream of.
Next big thing for me is hittin the 60, then it’s a new year, a new dawn for Celtic, who knows, I can but dream.
Thanks from the bottom of my heart for the blog Paul.
Too many to mention, but yous know who you are, thanks for being who you are.
HH
KTF
” Somos el Celtic”
As long as the Prod, Masonic establishment remains in Scotland,
the party goes on.No change.
TET, it wisnae so cold down here on the South Costa Blanca but glad you had a great day,likewise.
Lookin forward to the game on Saturday & next year.
HH.
Good early Boxing Day morning to you all
Well that is Christmas day over for another year, but the festive period continues. My favourite time of the year.
Been a very good day, today, spent with a very lovely family. They are growing up to quick, except for me :-)
HH
CRC
THE EXILED TIM
Great to see your day went well and you will be joining Wee Oscar on the Celtic Way. Something to be proud off!
HH
CRC
timbhoy in spain
I was down in Albox at the start of the week, mid 20s it was, just no my cup of T, too many brits, I like it here in the sticks, we are so high up, higher than Ben Nevis, it’s feckin cold in the winter,
-15 some nights, but seriously hot in the summer +50, the norm is mid 40s for weeks on end, I love it.
One day we will have a wee drinky….or 3 :)
HH
FFS
The house looks like a scene out of a Saw movie
CRC
The tears were streamin doon the face today when I found out I was gettin that as a pressie, proud is an understatement, honoured and humbled.
Oh, and it’s St Stephens day…………….OK :)
HH
I’m just sittin here watchin our last game against the hun in 2012,
Must’ve watched it aboot 50,000 times but still feel as if every time’s the 1st.
saint stivs
From earlier
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
weeman67
17:27 on 24 December, 2014
Merry Xmas and a Happy & Healthy New Year to all at CQN……..
Type in your address and watch the snow fall outside your house…Enjoy……..
http://www.pusher.com.au/clients/pusher-christmas-2011
HH
Lymmbhoy nuthin there.
TET
It’s funny how you don’t know someone but you like them
You sir,to me are a star.
God bless you and yours
HH
timbhoy in spain
Works fine for me…….. Maybe only works with an Oz address
HH
lymmbhoy, ma neighbour across the road has jist moved here fae Oz,Ah’ll go an ask him if he’s stull up lol
.
G’Day and Merry Christmas CQN..
Greeting from The CQN (Celtic Quirky Nutters) Inaugural Annual Disciples of the Prophet Samaras Convention..
In of All Places (Strange But True) a Island Named after the Great Mhan Sammui
Members have travelled from Near and Far to Celebrate the Anniversary of Ibrox Sammi Slaughter when He Single handily Destroyed the Ibrox Team.. The Ibrox Faithful and the New Year Resolutions of 90% of Celtic Fans..【ツ】
Some great Guest Speakers arranged for Tonight.. ( All we need is some Listeners ) ..:-(
Happy New Year to All..
Summa of TheProphetSamaras
Ps.. Oh and Remember Only 37 Days to the Next Old Firm Derby..
Thumbs Up..
Pps.. I Took that Too far Didn’t l..?
I remember the way yo kissed me
As if
It was perverted
Apparently it’s a new song
Update
Apparently there was a load of perverts at the time
I won
The top prize
A race
Sorry about the last post
Writing my thoughts
Sorry
SoS, Ah jist watched that video last night when big Sammi took them apart.
Oh whit a joyous watch.
And God bless you an aw yours,
Up the Celts.
Travellerbhoy
02:33 on
26 December, 2014
Sorry about the last post
Writing my thoughts
Sorry
Guess ye must’ve meant tae send that tae sumbuddy else mi Amigo, Ah;hmmm