The Salvation Army and St Vincent De Paul in Ballymena are just two of the charities who are set to benefit from the Rotary 10 Virtual Marathon Challenge, which will take place over the weekend of Friday 18th – Sunday 20th September 2020.
President of Ballymena Rotary Club, Lynda Bell told the Church Page:
“We’ve identified 4 charities that have been severely affected by the current pandemic and urgently need our help – Samaritans, St Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army, and Turning Point NI.“
“St Vincent de Paul relies entirely on voluntary donations. Since Covid-19, its income has been significantly reduced at the very time when the needs of the community have increased.
The Salvation Army Ballymena branch anticipates a significant increase in demand for its services as unemployment is likely to increase.
Since the start of the pandemic, the Samaritans’ volunteers have handled over 5,000 calls from people in the Ballymena area who are distressed and may be thinking of ending their lives by suicide.
Turning Point NI has found that those who already struggled with mental health issues have been adversely affected by the pandemic. They are very concerned about the likely increase in addictive behaviours and suicide”, she said.
Lynda went on to explain that you do not have to take part in the Rotary 10 Virtual Marathon in order to contribute.
Online donations may be made from 2pm on Monday 14th September by going to the online fundraising page here.
