I was introduced to 100minds through my Marketing in the Digital Age elective at Smurfit. As part of the elective, myself, Ryan Reid and Stephanie Bourke had to create a social media marketing plan that would help raise money for Childline through 100minds and so Comedy4Childline was born. On February 4th, Comedy4Childline will take place in The Laughter Lounge, Dublin's most exciting comedy venue. With tickets priced at just €25, attendees are guaranteed a great night with 4 top comedians, a free photobooth, late music and a late bar, all while supporting an incredible charity. There are a limited number of tickets still available so be sure not to miss out on a great night. Further details are available at: https://www.facebook.com/Comedy4Childline/?fref=ts

Well, it's official!! Comedy4Childline was a massive success for myself, Ryan Reid and Stephanie Bourke. We raised an incredible €2,710 from the event, far more than we ever expected. I was so lucky to have a great team; we worked well together and learned a lot from the experience. Selling tickets and collecting money was a lot more difficult than I imagined. Picture a dog chasing a tail - that was us at one stage. But it was all worth it in the end to achieve such a result.

I cannot thank The Laughter Lounge enough for the night, especially my good friend Shane O'Rourke who was a great help and managed to secure an amazing line up for the night: Johnny Candon, Paul Marsh, Kevin Gildea and the hilarious Al Porter. Al definitely stole the show and was more than delighted to hear the money raised was going to Childline! You also can't deny that the mentoring system in 100minds works. As a team, we wouldn't have been so successful without the help of ours: Fiona Cummins, Ian Downey and Karen Newman.

I managed to raise €955 from the Comedy4Childline tickets I sold myself and as a result, I have officially smashed my original €1,000 target. I owe great thanks to my friends and family who supported and bought tickets for Comedy4Childline, but also my friends who were unable to attend yet kindly supported the event and donated regardless.

Although I have reached my official target, I have set myself a personal target of €2,000 and I am determined to reach it. I already have a day of bag-packing in SuperValu, Blackrock, booked for April 9th, along with other smaller initiatives I am still working on.

Full steam ahead...

I have officially finished my fundraising efforts as part of this years 100minds and what a great five months it has been. I held my final event, a bag-pack, on April 9th in SuperValu Blackrock which was a huge success, raising €1,684 within seven hours. It was amazing to see the support Childline has from everyone and it was highlighted in everyone's incredible generosity. The most obvious thing from my day bag packing was the perception that the public have of Childline. All the shoppers were incredibly supportive of the charity, recognising the great work it does and its importance to Ireland's youngest, with many hugely interested and impressed by 100minds efforts. I cannot thank my friends who kindly donated their Saturday to help me enough. We may have had a few hiccups throughout the day but it all worked out in the end.

100minds has been a great experience for me. The support provided by Declan, the 100minds team and the mentors is on another scale, support all participants are lucky to have. Throughout the whole process, I have not only learned new skills, but also learned a lot about myself. I have come to realise that if you really want something, no matter how many fall backs you experience, you will find a way. And it is that determination I hope to carry through as I start my career.

I am very proud of the whole 100minds team for the amazing amount of money we have raised this year, money that will undoubtedly make a huge difference to Childline. It is a great team to be a part of, with nothing beating the sense of pride you get when the realisation of this achievement finally hits. I am proud of how far I have come over the past few months, from first reaching the €1,000 target to pushing through and raising as much as I could. Especially at the busiest stage of my MSc. studies, it is an achievement I will not forget any time soon.

And that's it, the end of the road, but what a road it's been!!!!