Students Harness Aid for the Relief of the Elderly
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Students Harness Aid for Relief of Elderly (formerly Schoolboys Harness Aid for Relief of Elderly) or SHARE, is a charity based in Cork, Ireland dedicated to providing housing and other support for the elderly poor.
Originally founded in 1970 by Presentation Brothers College, Cork, students from twenty-four schools now collaborate and over 200 custom-built homes have been provided by the organization.
SHARE was founded in 1970 when Br. Jerome Kelly returned home from missionary work and was made principal of Presentation college. He encouraged the students of Presentation College to think globally and act locally. He sent them out telling them to walk the city and identify what the major problems were. Rather than walking the bustling main streets, they walked the alleys and the side streets, which were falling into decay. What they saw stunned and amazed them: in their city there lived people who were living in damp decaying flats, attics and basements. They paid rent to landlords who had no interest in their tennants' living conditions.
Students from Presentation College decided to do something about the problem. They foused their message and aim aroung the Christmas story. "No room at the inn" was their slogan. They erected a crib on St. Patrick's Street with the permission and support of the civic leaders of the time. The group of students spent 24 hours collecting and fasting outside the crib. This has expanded to a collection each year which begins on the evening of the 15th of December and ends on Christmas Eve, which covers the whole city centre. At any one time there can be over 100 collecters on the street with nearly 1000 taking part in total. The collections continues regardless of weather. It is now a regular sight to see the yellow jackets of the SHARE volunteers on the streets of Cork over the Christmas period.
SHARE only collect over the Christmas period as a rule, but the students in the past noticed a new problem:The poor eldery whom they had provided housing for said that they were very lonely, as many had no family of their own.The students took it upon themselves to ensure the eldery were happy by visiting them on a regular basis. This still holds true today. While collection only occurs at Christmas, the SHARE executive, a group of around 50 students elected each year, can visit any resident of the housing schemes that desires visitation. Although they are not obliged to continue to do this on a permanent basis(as the executive is changed each school year), many develop a strong bond of friendship and continue to visit indefinitely.
