Fundraiser in memory of Andrea raises €23,000
Stephen Rooney, husband of Andrea Zerafa, welcomes everyone to the memorial walk in Ballon Photos: Michael O'Rourke Photography
THE community of Ballon came out in force over the August bank holiday weekend for a 5km walk in memory of Andrea Zerafa.
The fundraiser walk raised a whopping €23,200 for Éist Cancer Support Centre in Carlow and Waterford hospice, which supported Andrea and her family while she was ill. Andrea’s husband Stephen Rooney said he was “gob-smacked” at the amount they raised and grateful to the hundreds of people who showed up in support of the cause and in memory of Andrea.
“I was half dreading it, didn’t know how it was going to work out. I didn’t dream of hitting that number,” he said, noting that people were still coming into the shop, Zerafa’s Centra in Ballon, and leaving cash on the desk.
“She was a special lady, what can I say? The number shows how people felt about her. You didn’t have to beg anyone. They knew what she went through,” said Stephen.
The fine weather helped draw a crowd, a crowd so big that the entourage blocked traffic as it made its way around the loop. Afterwards, there were refreshments at the shop and “there wasn’t a rush to get away. People seemed to be happy to take their time,” said Stephen.
“It couldn’t have gone any better,” he noted.
Despite some clamouring to make the event an annual one, Stephen wants to take some time to appreciate those services that supported his family and to acknowledge a “job well done”.
“She leaned on Éist and I leaned on the hospice; they were always there for you. You don’t want to use them, but when you have to, it’s good to know that they’re there,” he said.
A huge reason for the success of the event was that so many people contributed, he noted. Staff from the shop contributed their time, suppliers donated raffle prizes and Centra itself manned the coffee and tea stand after the walk. Dolores Brennan put together an “amazing” raffle and wouldn’t let a supplier leave the shop before they donated something to it, said Stephen.
“It makes you proud,” he said. “It just shows you when you have a team that wants to do something and a community that really comes together, you can do anything.”
