Remembering our Dad

WHEN Swords native David Fitzgerald was killed in a traffic accident earlier this year he left behind a devastated family.

The 34-year-old father-of-three was Leading Paramedic and Station Supervisor at Midlands Regional Hospital in Portlaoise.

He served in the ambulance service for more than a decade, mostly in County Laois, but also in Counties Westmeath and Offaly.

David was fatally injured in a collision on the way to work on March 13. His colleagues provided a guard of honour at his funeral and the National Ambulance Pipe and Drum Band played, too.

David is survived by his wife Joanne, whom he married in 2006, and their three children Emma (6), Luke (3) and baby Mia (aged seven months).

He attended Holy Family National School in Rivervalley, Swords, and then continued on to Fingal Community College in Swords village.

He was a Cub Scout until the age of 11 years and then joined the Red Cross at the age of 12 years. David was also an avid and life-long member of Swords Sailing Club.

Coming up to what would have been David’s 35th birthday on August 21, his children wanted to do something to mark their Daddy’s birthday. They decided to put together backpacks filled with helpful items to donate to children receiving Mary’s Meals in Africa.

Mary’s Meals sets up school feeding programmes in some of the world’s poorest communities, where hunger and poverty often prevent children from getting an education.

By providing a nutritious daily meal in a place of education, Mary’s Meals encourages hungry children into the classroom where they can receive an education, which, in future, can be their ladder out of poverty.

The charity is committed to keeping costs low and at least 93 cents from every e1 donated is spent directly on charitable activities. It costs just e14.50 to feed a child with Mary’s Meals for a whole school year.

Many of the children receiving Mary’s Meals don’t have basic learning tools such as pencils and notebooks.

The charity’s complementary Backpack Project initiative allows supporters to donate a backpack filled with educational and hygiene items that will help a child to make the most of their time in school and realise their full potential.

David’s children decided they would each put together a backpack that could be donated to a little boy or girl in Malawi, where Mary’s Meals has its largest feeding programme.

With the help of family and friends, they completed this fitting tribute in time to donate the backpacks to Mary’s Meals on David’s birthday. They also released 35 helium balloons in their back garden in his honour on the same day.

David’s wife Joanne said money meant nothing to her husband.

“It was all about spending time with his family and the small things in life meant so much to him,

? she told Northside People.

“He loved to give not take – that’s the kind of person he was. David’s generous nature lives on through our children, so it’s very fitting that they wanted to help other children through Mary’s Meals in their Daddy’s memory.

“The children were so excited and loved picking out things to go into the backpacks.

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Joanne added:

“Even though our situation is horrific, there are people out there who are worse off, because they have nothing.

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Aoife Martin, fundraising co-ordinator for Mary’s Meals Ireland, said:

“As well as being Ireland’s youngest Mary’s Meals supporters, I think Emma, Luke, and Mia are setting a wonderful example.

“They’ve had such a sad few months, but they’re still keen to show love and compassion to children who have nothing and do their bit to show they care.

“Everyone is so proud of them, and we know their dad would be too.

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Last year, 50,000 backpacks donated by supporters all over Europe were distributed to children receiving Mary’s Meals in Malawi.

The main focus of the charity is providing food to hungry children within an educational setting and, currently, 923,572 children across five continents enjoy Mary’s Meals in school.

With the number of children already over 920,000, Mary’s Meals is urging supporters to get behind a campaign to #makeitamillion by spreading the word in their local area or hosting their own fundraising event.