Northern Ireland v Israel

SUPPORTING A HOST OF GOOD CAUSES

Northern Ireland supporters in Cookstown show their support for the Alzheimer’s Society.

One of the many things which makes me proud to be a Northern Ireland supporter is the huge amount of charitable fundraising initiatives that are undertaken by the fans.

We also invite deserving individuals as guests to Northern Ireland home games. Our chosen charity this year is the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, something which many of you may be familiar with. The trust provides support to families who suffer the loss of a family member while overseas, assisting with the return of their remains. They were of tremendous help to the families of Darren Rodgers and Archie Rainey, who sadly passed away in France during Euro 2016. They also gave the same support to the family of young Northern Ireland fan Carter Carson who lost his life during a family holiday in Spain this year. Given this connection to the Northern Ireland support the AONISC today launched a prize draw in aid of the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, with a number of excellent prizes on offer. You can find out more about this through our social media platforms @AoNISC_Travel on Twitter and TheAmalgamation at Facebook. To all those fans who do their bit for charity: keep up the good work! Gary McAllister Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters’ Clubs

It's a natural thing for people in Northern Ireland to possess a spirit of generosity and willingness to help others and that is generally accompanied by a reluctance to seek praise for doing so. In a time when we seem increasingly drawn towards bad news and negativity perhaps we should be letting others see the good that is done to help others all year round? Possibly the most difficult thing about charitable fundraising is choosing which good cause to support. There are so many charities and individuals deserving of a helping hand, but it's impossible to support them all. Within the AONISC we undertake fundraising initiatives as an organisation and our member clubs also raise money for a whole host of good causes through their own endeavours. From the tried and tested methods of football tournaments, sponsored walks, fundraising dinners and online auctions to the more quirky idea of a charity single release, this positive work by our clubs is never-ending. The AONISC’s charitable work takes various forms. In 2017 we hosted a golf day with a number of former internationals, raising £5,000 in the process. We also undertook a goodwill visit to a school for disabled children in Baku the day before the World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan. Through crowdfunding we raised £1,300 which bought toys, Northern Ireland shirts and footballs for the kids. We had to close the fundraising page a week early such was the response to our appeal as logistically we couldn't have taken any more gifts with us!

FOLLOW US AT @AoNISC_Travel @WGMac TheAmalgamation

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