A Million Steps for Yanna

Grab your walking shoes and head down to Cavan Youthreach Centre for a 5km walk in aid of Yanna’s Four Leaf Clover Fundraiser.

The walk, which was organised by students and teachers of Cavan Youthreach, is set to take place on Friday November 24.

Speaking to The Anglo-Celt, counsellor in Cavan Youthreach, Nathalie McCaul said “We will be starting a walk from here on the 24th. Then we will come back here and will have tea and coffee and homemade treats that the students will make.”

The fundraising event will be the final piece of the group's One Million Steps for Yana fundraiser for which the group have been walking great distances over the past few weeks.

“We’re walking a number of times a week, all students, all staff. So we leave here and we walk down as far as Tractamotors, do the loop and come back. So today we have done 160,000 steps and last week before midterm we had another day where we did 200,000 steps so we’re trying to build it up to a million,” says Nathalie.

The walk is being undertaken by Cavan Youthreach Learners and staff in Conjunction with Healthy Ireland and Garda Christine Gallagher Cavan Community Engagement Unit.

Students and teachers

Natalie told the Celt Cavan Youthreach had been participating in various events and challenges and had this time decided to raise funds for a good cause.

The group had heard Yanna Hartin’s story and decided they wanted to help.

“As soon as we mentioned the idea at an assembly one morning, they said - ‘Well why don’t we do it for Yanna?’ The majority of students wouldn’t know Yanna, but they’re only too delighted to do it.

“So when they don’t feel like doing it themselves, they think of what she’s going through and her resilience and that focuses them. They forget about themselves and do it for somebody else,” says Nathalie, proud her group was so keen to help.

The funds raised are set to support Yanna’s Four Leaf Clover Fundraiser, a charity set up to support Yanna who suffered life changing injuries following a traffic accident on her way to her summer job in the Farnham Estate Hotel in Cavan.

Cavan Youthreach will donate all monies raised to the fund which aims to support Yanna by removing barriers in her return to independent living. Yanna’s requirements involve suitable adapted accommodation and transport needs, ongoing medical treatment including innovative treatments at home and abroad, together with necessary equipment, training, physiotherapy and support care needs.”

Youthreach Cavan wishes to extend their heartfelt gratitude to Steven Ormsby of Healthy Ireland, Cavan and Garda Christine Gallagher for their encouragement and support in this initiative.

Healthy Eating Ireland have very kindly funded pedometers for all learners and staff and Christine has offered her time to join learners weekly in training for the final 5k.

Anyone wishing to take part in the 5k walk can arrive at Cavan Youthreach Centre on November 24.