By Rachel Kellaghan
Shakira Mongan is turning her beliefs into actions in an inspirational fundraising campaign for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. The 19-year-old who lives in Leicester comes from proud Irish parents. Her strong roots in the catholic church have led to her ambition to help others. Her family, in particular, her brother and younger cousins, have been by her side since the very beginning.
Climbing to Success:
This will be Shakira’s first time organising a fundraising event, and she has already received incredible success. Shakira, alongside her brother and cousins, Owen Thomas (16), Jason Mongan (13), and twins Tommy and Owen Mongan (11), will climb Ben Nevis on May 28th. This is an unbelievable undertaking for the young team.
Preparation for the climb has already begun, “we have been training so far. We will be doing extra training coming up to it, we’ve got walks planned as well. So that’s going to help us when we’re climbing the mountain as well,” explained Shakira.
The Reason Behind It All:
Shakira explained that her faith and desire to help others were the reasons behind the fundraising. “I have good faith in God, and I believe God gave me an able body for a reason in this life, so why not use it to help others who are in need. If I can do any physical challenge in order to raise money for those in need, then I’m going to do it,” she said.
The fundraiser will help Shakira fulfil her wish. “When people donate, it goes straight into Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital charity”. The money raised can help families going through a difficult time by contributing to the cost of facilities, medical care and equipment.
Shakira and her relatives have enjoyed the campaign so far. “We get to train together and be together and spend time together, and we’re really, really looking forward to climbing Ben Nevis together. It’s going to be an experience for us all.”
The campaign is not only a fantastic way to raise money for a good cause, but also a perfect example of how beliefs and acts of kindness can bring individuals and a community together.
Shakira is being backed all the way, “I’ve received a lot of support from family and friends, family members, a lot of kind words, a lot of supporting words. Even strangers on the internet have been messaging me”.
Beyond the wider community, this is a particularly special time for the Mongan family as Shakira highlighted, “we are doing it together”.
Making a Difference:
Shakira is determined to make a positive impact for those in need, and she won’t stop after climbing Ben Nevis. “I am hoping to go down there and speak to the people down there and hopefully do something down there for them. I know you can volunteer, and I want to volunteer in the hospital,” she said.
The goal is to raise £1,000, and £826 of that has already been raised. Shakira expressed gratitude towards everyone who has donated, and she hopes to inspire other young people to act on their beliefs and help others.
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“I’m a Traveller, so I’m hoping that other young Travellers will see what I’m doing and hopefully it will inspire them to do the same thing to help others in need,” she says.
Although Shakira has been incredibly selfless in all her work, she explained she does not do it for her own pride, “It’s not really, you know, it’s not really a sense of pride in myself, it’s a sense of pride in helping other people.”
Shakira, alongside her brother and cousins are not only taking on a physical challenge, but they are also setting an example of the good that can be done and the impact it can have on those in need. They are bringing together a community to recognise an important cause.
