Two Co Tyrone schoolgirls have raised more than £4,000 for autism charities after kicking a point in every county GAA stadium in Ireland across four days.
Tori Crawford and Megan Skeffington, aged 13 and 12, were accompanied by their dads Damian and Martin and two others in their 1,400-mile journey across Ireland.
They aimed to raise awareness of autism acceptance within the GAA as well as funds for Autism NI in the north and As I Am in the Republic; two charities which support families and raise awareness of autism.
Speaking to The Irish News, Megan’s father Martin said both he and Damian were “immensely” proud of their two girls.
“They took the whole thing in their stride,” he said.
“The two girls never once complained, they just loved getting out and about.”
This is the second fundraiser which the two girls have undertaken for autism charities; last year they kicked a point at all 51 GAA pitches in Co Tyrone and managed to raise over £18,000.
They were inspired to raise money for the cause as Tori’s two younger brothers are autistic.
And while the idea behind the fundraiser was their father’s, Martin said two girls were more than happy to take on the challenge.
With a new day and a good nights sleep 😴 over us the team are beginning to reflect on the previous 4 days. We will post...
Posted by Kicking For Autism 32 on Monday 2 September 2024
“Once it involved kicking a ball, they would have been happy to do anything,” he said.
“They know that what they were doing was for a good cause and they would do it all over next weekend if given the chance,” he laughed.
The huge undertaking had been in planning since January, taking months to receive permission from grounds and work out a route.
“Planning the route itself was fairly extensive,” he said.
“As it turned out the timings and the route were actually perfect.”
“We weren’t five or ten minutes late or early for any ground – we were nearly bang on time.”
The girls were warmly received right across the island and even “treated like celebrities” at this weekend’s Gaelic for All event, according to Megan’s father.
Their trip was supported by sponsorships for food and fuel, two vans to travel in and even two nights’ accommodation provided by hotels in Killarney and Kildare.
“We are indebted to absolutely everybody that has supported it,” he said.
“The reception at each pitch was fantastic, especially Dublin itself – they really went overboard in Dublin for us.”
“And obviously our home pitch back in Omagh here,” he added.
While it might be too soon to think about what’s next, Martin says it has been brought to their attention that there are more than 170 GAA clubs in America.
“We’ll have a think about it the next few months up to Christmas,” he laughed, cautiously.
Donations to the girl’s fundraising page remain open and can be found via their Facebook page – Kicking for Autism 32.
