Wednesday, June 29, 2011

KEEP ON RUNNIN'

Run Along

Summer has come and so things are not only busy at the hospice, but also with regard to life in general. As I prepare to return to Scotland next week to spend time with family and friends, I thought it was about time to update my blog as to what has been going on recently in the Hospice and to what is coming up next. 

Earlier in June we had our first Hospice Angelus Big Charity Quiz and it couldn't have gone better. We had a full house and a very competitive crowd who were on the pulse when it came to answering questions. Under the direction of our talented quizmaster, Mr Rich Roesing, our 21 teams battled it out answering questions on entertainment, geography, history and sport amongst others and their generosity led to us raising 230 euros on the night. A real success for the Hospice and the feedback we had was extremely positive so we've decided to make it a monthly event and the next quiz will be on August 10th at the same venue, Caruta Bar on Str Ismail. A big congratulations to the our winning team, Tempest in a Teapot, who romped home with the top score and a few bottles of wine too (although some may argue that more wine was not necessary for some team members). Thanks to our volunteers who helped us out at the event in addition to all who attended.

Here are a few pictures from the event:

Our venue, Caruta Bar, was the perfect size for our event

The expats had some stiff competition from the Moldovan nationals

Seemingly friendly, the gloves were off when it came to beating the competition

Quizmaster extraordinaire, Rich Roesing, kept the crowd under control

We have a handful of events coming up over the summer which we are keeping under wraps but expect an announcement about these shortly. Some of these events are organised with the help of our summer intern, Olea Brega, who is working with the fundraising team for 2 months as part of a community program with her university. Originally from Chisinau, Olea is currently studying at Wofford College in Pennsylvania and we are grateful for her help and the fantastic ideas which she has already come up with. 

One thing I can tell you about is the Bucharest Marathon which takes place on October 9 2011 in Romania's capital. We are looking for runners to support and run for Hospice Angelus in any of the four races (full marathon, half marathon, 4 person relay or 4km) so if you are interested in doing so please drop me an email and I'll give you further details. 

Alternatively, if you'd rather just support the Hospice and not bother with the running, you can sponsor me for the half marathon here: http://www.justgiving.com/marathonmadnessformoldova. I'm not really built for running so if you would like to support me in this challenge, please pledge what you can. The website above is 100% secure and you can donate any amount you like. All the money that you donate will be given DIRECTLY to the work of Hospice Angelus here in Moldova. 

Many thanks to you all for your support and encouragement over the last 9 months. I'm off home to enjoy a wee break before arriving back in Moldova at the end of July to work into the autumn and winter. Have a great summer!

Friday, June 10, 2011

SUMMERTIME

Still quite lazy on the blog - lots going on and not much time to update. But for now, here's a great new tune I've heard today. Tune of the summer perhaps??