Against forgetting

John McGurk heard about a mass grave in 2017, only 45 km away from his former children’s home in Dumfries Scotland. Over four hundred children are buried there. The name of many of them are still missing today. Further research led too Ireland. Many years ago, a horrific discovery was made in the village of Tuam, Ireland – a mass grave was found, in which 850 babies and small children from a nearby mother-child home were put into a septic tank.
What thoughts went through John’s mind and why it is s4acw’s priority to walk, run and cycle for these children is described by John in this unbelievable report on Project 2021. (German version: Bericht-zum-Projekt-2021)

With this project s4acw pursues the goal to reach as large a public as possible. The children must not be forgotten – with all our strength and possibilities s4acw will help families and ancestors’ friends in both countries.

Through six countries

It starts on April 29th in the City of Peace, Osnabrück. Over the next six days and nights, the team will cover over 1,000 km on foot and by bike, crossing a total of six countries. In addition to the two mass graves, further milestones will be added over the next few months. On 5 May the team from s4acw will reach Tuam.

6 days and nights (April 29 – May 5, 2021)
6 countries (Germany, Netherlands, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland)
1 team (10-12 athletes from s4acw)
1 target (to give the children their dignity back)

Patron David McAllister

The Member of the European Parliament is a long-time friend of s4acw. When John asked him if he would like to be our patron David immediately agreed. We are very pleased to have his support to work together to send a strong message of humanity in Scotland, Ireland and around the world. (Photo rights are owned by David McAllister)

Donations

All donations collected for the project wil be divided equally between the charities Childrens 1st in Scotland, for which s4acw was also on tour in 2016, and Mary’s Meals in Ireland. This will support needy children in Scotland and worldwide.

(Photos by Katja McGurk, who visited the mass graves together with John as well as Gertrud and Detlef Kösters)

The historian Catherine Corless tells Gertrud, Detlef and John about the horrific mass grave in Tuam

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Wolfgang Griesert, Mayor of Osnabrueck

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Our Ambition:

We want to bring together people and their children from all over the world – regardless of the religion and culture they belong to.

Our charity partner in 2018/19 is SOS childrens villages, an international organization helping children in more than 135 countries around the world. To collect donations for needy children, Sportler 4 a childrens world (s4acw) is going to organize as many charity events as possible, as well as two international charity runs in 2018/19.

Our Idea:

We want to deliver a special message respectively to one SOS childrens village in as many countries of the world as possible. We want to show them they are not alone, and that each child is special. We want to encourage them to believe in themselves and in a better future.

For this reason, we want to invite them to accept two gifts from us:

• A donation for their Village, giving them the possibility to fulfill some of their urgencies and to make necessary purchases (i. e. for medicine, education, materials or presents)

• A written message from s4acw and John McGurk, who grew up in a children’s home himself. We want to give the children comfort and confidence, allowing them to look ahead happily & positively.

Our Project in 2018/19:

• 2018 – 750 km Charity and Solidarity Run from Osnabrück to London

Start: 1 June 2018 (Town Hall of Osnabrück)
We are going to run non-stop through Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and England
Finish: 4 June 2018 (London Bridge)

Running through five countries, we want to set an example of solidarity for peace and against Racism and violence. Exactly one year ago, on 3/4 June 2017, a terrorist attack took place on London Bridge and in Borough Market, leaving behind eight fatalities and dozens of injured people. Therefore, we are going to lay down a wreath representatively to honor the victims, their families and for Peace and children in all troubled countries around the world.

• 2019 – Charity Run from Osnabrück to Innsbruck

Start: 3 June 2019 (Town Hall of Osnabrück)
We are going to run non-stop from Germany to Austria
Finish: 6 June 2019 Vienna at the head office of SOS childrens villages International.

On World Children’s Day, which takes place every year on 6th June, our gifts will reach the childrens villages in all 135 countries all over the world, and John McGurk’s and s4acw’s message os goodwill will be read out.

Our Motivation:

At the end, I, John McGurk, want to share some thoughts with you which are very important to me:

„We are living in a time of fears, where ´only bad news is good news´. Images and news of terror and social inequality are constantly gaining more in importance. At the same time, the most important thing we have is sadly and frequently being forgotten – our children and a happy childhood.

A child without a childhood is like a rainbow without color. You realize something wonderful and beautiful is missing, and it will keep hurting for a whole lifetime.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said: ´Everyone still has the strength to do what they are convinced of.´

We are convinced that with your help we can reach our target: to support childrens villages in more than 135 countries.“  (John McGurk)

Please, support us in bringing together people and their children from all parts of the world – regardless of the religion and culture they belong to.

Thank you
John McGurk and s4acw

Contact:
Sportler 4 a childrens world e.V.
Wilhelm-Weß-Str. 17
49134 Wallenhorst
Germany
E-Mail: info@s4acw.de

Donations account:
IBAN: DE85 2655 0105 4648 0240 00
Reference: „Projekt 2018/19“

Keynote: The project in 2018/19 is also supported by the foundation www.eine-zukunft-fuer-kinder.org

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Dear Right Honourable Lord Provost,
firstly I would like to thank Children 1st s4acw, icmi, and our families for their support.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
tonight, is without doubt more than an honour for me to stand here and accept, the Lord provost charity award. Glasgow is a special and very proud city filled with good hearted people like everyone here tonight. I was prouder than ever last year when we ran from Germany, via Holland, England, stopped at Lockerbie and together with an action group from Children 1st laid a wreath to honour the victims and families from the 1988 air disaster then ran the final lap to Glasgow Green where we presented Children 1st with a kind donation to help them with their fantastic work with vulnerable children in Scotland, and in all honesty to which I so dearly, and proudly identify myself with. Because I was born and brought up in very sad circumcises, poverty, domestic violence, even dysentery was my way of life, a daily meal was seldom and many a day I couldn’t go to school because of the lack of cloths and footwear, but I was happy, unfortunately things remained hard and society said it would be better for me to go into care, I would get everything a 9-year-old boy needs, protection, love, and a dignified childhood. But sadly, I have to tell you my childhood died at the children’s home from the very hands of the man who was looking after me. I don’t remember how long I was in the home before that fatal evening 46 years ago, but it still feels like yesterday as he dragged me to my bedroom and threw me against the wall and kicked and punched me so many times until my childhood died.
He realized what he had done and shouted to me that I was to stop falling down the stairs and clean myself up, he slammed the door behind him and as I was lying on the floor I felt so ashamed, worthless and the never-ending humiliation almost destroyed all my belief in the goodness of mankind. No child whatever should go through this.

Helplessness and a life without prospects is the most dangerous state of life one can live in. I decided and swore 28 years ago, for as long as I live to invest every free minute to help the needy and abused children and show them that they are something wonderful and are the true angels on earth.
A child without a childhood is like a rainbow without colour, you feel something beautiful and wonderful is missing and it hurts the whole of a lifetime.

Right honourable Lord Provost, ladies and gentlemen,
that is the reason why the Lord Provost Charity Award means so much to me and I devote it from the very bottom of my heart to all the true angels on earth, the children.

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