Sustained Support vs The Grand Gesture

So apparently the Irish economy is recovering, all of a sudden its ok to buy stuff again and to return to bemoaning the weather as opposed to the country’s finances. One of the many indications that we are emerging from the recession is the growing number of pictures of generous celebs and wealthy folk attending big “charity” fundraising events. The charity lunches, balls and auctions all seemed to disappear when the bubble burst. The back pages of the newspapers were nolonger filled with pictures of the glitterati in five star hotels, Spanish resorts or michelin starred restaurants, sipping champagne, while bidding on a yacht or being entertained by the cream of Irish talent.

Charities and the associated events began instead to occupy other sections of the papers. The can of worms which was opened when the top up payments to some of their board members and chief operating officers, among others graced the front pages. While the sports sections became populated with 10k runs, mini and ultra marathons, triathlons and other tests of fitness and stamina which were by and large undertaken not by the spandex clad glitterati, but by admirable  citizens many of whom had to turn to low cost exercise options as a coping skill and because they could nolonger afford the gym membership.

In a similar fashion the local table quizzes, car boot sales, raffles, church gate and on street collections continued. Those who never featured in the social columns continued to stand outside in all weathers and sell flowers and pins or spent their time selling tickets and organising small events in local halls determined to continue to do their bit because no matter how difficult things were for them they believed there was always someone in greater need.

These people in my opinion are the ones who deserve the column inches, how many pictures of volunteers in ponchos standing outside shopping centres in the rain or tables of eager table quiz participants in a country pub have you seen in the social columns of the national papers??

With the gradual improvement in the economy the growth in grand gestures once again directs our attention to the remerging generous rich. Tickets to the fabulous events they organise are priced beyond the means of the raffle ticket buyer or the table quiz attendee. Covetable items such as signed jerseys, luxurious meals and weekend breaks are sold at auction for the equivalent of the average monthly salary. Those who can afford to attend these events gain valuable PR points and admiration while those who endeavoured to keep the charities ticking over continue to work tirelessly lucky if they get a tee-shirt in recognition.

In my world charity is a marathon not a sprint and I’d rather see sustained sincere gestures as opposed to grand gestures any day!