Tullamore's 'Davitt St Kidz' turn a random act of kindness into €755 for Dóchas

A SIMPLE summer pop-up shop created by a group of local children has raised an incredible €755 for Dóchas Offaly Cancer Support Group – while inspiring a wave of kindness across the local community.

What began as a small act of kindness by Sinead Murray, Méabh Boyce, Maeve Sutton, Sarah Pyke, Dónal Murray, Anna Pyke and Niall Grehan, affectionately known as the “Davitt Street Kidz”, quickly grew into something far beyond anything the children, their families or Dóchas could have anticipated.

The children set up their own little pop-up shop on Davitt Street, selling items they had made themselves with the aim of raising money to support the work of Dóchas Offaly Cancer Support Group. This was the third time this young group had done this, but what happened this time was far beyond what anyone expected.

After Dóchas shared their story on social media something unexpected happened.

The story captured the imagination of the local community and the response was phenomenal. Their parents began receiving messages from people asking when the shop would next be open and looking for an opportunity to support the young fundraisers.

What followed was an extraordinary few weeks of enthusiasm, hard work and determination.

Each time the Davitt Street Kidz opened for business, people arrived to support them and they regularly sold completely out of the items they had made. Rather than calling it a day when the stock was gone, the children would spend their evenings making more so they could restock their shop and do it all over again.

They also organised a raffle, which received tremendous support from neighbours, friends and members of the wider community. People bought tickets, visited the shop and, in many cases, simply made donations because they wanted to support what the children were trying to achieve.

By the end of their summer venture, all those small acts had added up to an extraordinary €755 for Dóchas.

The children visited Teach Dochas this week to officially present the proceeds of their fundraising. The team at Dóchas marked the occasion with sweets and refreshments in their honour and made a small presentation to the children as a token of appreciation for everything they had achieved.

John Conroy, Service Manager at Dóchas Offaly Cancer Support Group, said the final amount had taken everyone at the charity completely by surprise.

“When we first heard what the children were doing, we were simply touched that they had decided, completely off their own bat, to do something kind for Dóchas. Nobody could have imagined that their little pop-up shop would eventually raise €755.

Mr Conroy said the success of the initiative was also testament to the community that rallied around the children.

“There is a wonderful story of community behind these seven young people. Their parents and families encouraged and supported them throughout the summer, while their neighbours, friends and members of the wider community got behind them by visiting the shop, buying raffle tickets and making donations.

“We want to sincerely thank every single person who supported them, but particularly their families, who encouraged their idea and helped them turn it into something much bigger than they could ever have expected.”

Perhaps the most remarkable part of the story, however, is that the impact of the Davitt Street Kidz has extended well beyond the money they raised.

Since their story was first shared, their random act of kindness has caught the imagination of others locally, with people inspired by what the children achieved and considering their own ways of doing something kind for others.

For Dóchas, that ripple effect may be one of the most important legacies of the children’s summer project.

“The €755 will make a genuine difference to the work we do, but there is something else these children have given our community that you simply cannot put a value on,” Mr Conroy said.

“Their kindness has caught people’s imagination. They have inspired other people locally to think about their own random acts of kindness, and that is a wonderful legacy for seven children to have created.

“Sinead, Méabh, Maeve, Sarah, Dónal, Anna and Niall have reminded all of us that you don’t need to have lots of money, organise a huge fundraising event or even be a grown-up to make a difference.

“Sometimes it starts with one little idea and one random act of kindness. We could not be prouder of them.”

Dóchas Offaly Cancer Support Group provides free psychosocial support to people living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis, as well as their families and carers.

For the team at Dóchas, the visit from the Davitt Street Kidz was therefore about much more than receiving €755.

It was an opportunity to celebrate seven remarkable young people who demonstrated generosity, determination and community spirit throughout their summer – and whose simple desire to do something kind ultimately inspired an entire community to get behind them.