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In front: Helen Mackessy, Vicky and Cillian Wilson. Back: Michaela Ladden, Georgia Traynor, Jason Craske, Patricia Sharkey, Maura Walsh, Margaret Philipin, Peter Philipin, Sienna Traynor Jocasta Malskell. Photo by Gavin O’Connor.
THE local community has come together to help a mother of one who was a victim of a sneaky theft of her bag.
Last week, Vicky Wilson, was going into her home in Tralee when her bag, which she had left in her car, was stolen behind her back. The bag contained a month’s rent and came as an extra shock as it happened just outside her front door.
A dejected Vicky posted what happened to her on ‘Tralee Buy Sell Swap’ Facebook page and the response she got was both unexpected and delightful.
Members of the group rushed in to help Vicky in anyway they could, with many offering a donation to recoup her losses. After a week of collecting, those donations were handed over to the delighted mother of young Cillian on Monday.
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Vicky’s faith in the town was restored after receiving the money. “This is lovely, thanks to you all, it’s nice to know that people care,” said Vicky, who is from England originally, but has been living in Tralee for ten years.
To make all this happen, members of the group had to collect donations without her knowing. After she put up the post, even though Vicky was overwhelmed by the outpouring of goodwill from the people of Tralee, she said didn’t want to accept donations from the public.
This is where admin of the group, Helen Mackessy, stepped in. Helen felt as a community they would accept those donations on behalf of Vicky – unbeknownst to her – and present them at a later date. For this to work, Vicky was temporarily blocked from the group page so she would be unaware of efforts to help her online.
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Those who wished to donate were asked to put there names on an envelope, plus a note if they wished, so Vicky would get a chance to thank them in the future.
The letters came in not only from Tralee, but all over the county and even as far as Cork, showing the power of social media in action for good. Over the course of a week, Helen met up with people looking to help who passed on their donations.
On Monday, Vicky was lured to The Ashe Hotel by a friend, where a bag full of envelopes and a bouquet of flowers were waiting for her and son Cillian to collect. Along with Helen, a number of members of the the ‘Tralee Buy Sell Swap’ group were there to witness the heartwarming exchange.
