Ask young Tierney Jasper what she wants to be when she grows up and chances are she will say a vet. And while that decision may change over the years, one thing is certain – the eight-year- old Hobart schoolgirl will end up in a humanitarian role.
In May, Tierney embarked on a charity walkathon in a bid to raise funds for sick children at her local Ronald McDonald House. She was compelled by nothing more than a burning desire to help children less fortunate than herself.
The bold schoolgirl trudged for 60km over two days from one Hobart McDonald’s restaurant to another and raised nearly $5000 in the process. Parents Grant and Stephanie Jasper, while proud of the young philanthropist, were not surprised their daughter undertook such a physically daunting challenge to help others.
“Tierney has always been a child who has thought of others,” Stephanie Jasper says. “She benefit from Tierney’s fundraising efforts, joined her for the last 10km.
“I’m passionate about children and the wellbeing of children, and the metaphor of the pain she put herself through in order to help sick children is really touching,” Penny says. “She really pushed herself beyond the pain threshold which is so inspirational and motivating.”
The $5000 Tierney raised has not yet been allocated. But she would like to see it spent on turning the existing sitting room at the Hobart Ronald McDonald House into emergency overnight accommodation that could be used by families in need.
“We’ve often talked about what Tierney could end up doing when she grows up and we wouldn’t bat an eye if she ended up in a shanty town in Ethiopia helping those in need, or as a UN ambassador,” Stephanie Jasper says. “It’s just the kind of kid she is.” wanted to do something like this walk for quite a while. Then one day she said to me ‘Mum, I want to help children who aren’t as lucky as me. I can sit inside and watch TV, or I can walk out the door and do something.’ It was as simple as that.”
Once the very long distance was determined, Tierney’s parents were a bit concerned that the trek would prove too much for their daughter. And Tierney also felt concerned that she might let down the hundreds of people who had sponsored her to walk 60km over two days.
But on the first day Tierney set off with a steely resolve. By sundown she had walked a massive 36km. She only had one break – an hour for lunch. The last eight kilometres were particularly tough for the schoolgirl, who at one point sat weeping with pain by the side of the road. But there was no way she was going to stop.
“People have paid me to walk,” she told her parents, who told her that she had already done a good enough job. The following day a determined Tierney set off once again. By the time she reached her destination a huge crowd had gathered to cheer her on.
Penny Richardson, House Manager at the Hobart Ronald McDonald House, which will Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) creates, finds and supports programs across Australia that help seriously ill children and their families. Ronald McDonald House is the cornerstone program of RMHC.
The Houses provide a home away from home for families of seriously ill children receiving life-saving treatments at nearby hospitals.
In May, Tierney embarked on a charity walkathon in a bid to raise funds for sick children at her local Ronald McDonald House. She was compelled by nothing more than a burning desire to help children less fortunate than herself.
The bold schoolgirl trudged for 60km over two days from one Hobart McDonald’s restaurant to another and raised nearly $5000 in the process. Parents Grant and Stephanie Jasper, while proud of the young philanthropist, were not surprised their daughter undertook such a physically daunting challenge to help others.
“Tierney has always been a child who has thought of others,” Stephanie Jasper says. “She benefit from Tierney’s fundraising efforts, joined her for the last 10km.
“I’m passionate about children and the wellbeing of children, and the metaphor of the pain she put herself through in order to help sick children is really touching,” Penny says. “She really pushed herself beyond the pain threshold which is so inspirational and motivating.”
The $5000 Tierney raised has not yet been allocated. But she would like to see it spent on turning the existing sitting room at the Hobart Ronald McDonald House into emergency overnight accommodation that could be used by families in need.
“We’ve often talked about what Tierney could end up doing when she grows up and we wouldn’t bat an eye if she ended up in a shanty town in Ethiopia helping those in need, or as a UN ambassador,” Stephanie Jasper says. “It’s just the kind of kid she is.” wanted to do something like this walk for quite a while. Then one day she said to me ‘Mum, I want to help children who aren’t as lucky as me. I can sit inside and watch TV, or I can walk out the door and do something.’ It was as simple as that.”
Once the very long distance was determined, Tierney’s parents were a bit concerned that the trek would prove too much for their daughter. And Tierney also felt concerned that she might let down the hundreds of people who had sponsored her to walk 60km over two days.
But on the first day Tierney set off with a steely resolve. By sundown she had walked a massive 36km. She only had one break – an hour for lunch. The last eight kilometres were particularly tough for the schoolgirl, who at one point sat weeping with pain by the side of the road. But there was no way she was going to stop.
“People have paid me to walk,” she told her parents, who told her that she had already done a good enough job. The following day a determined Tierney set off once again. By the time she reached her destination a huge crowd had gathered to cheer her on.
Penny Richardson, House Manager at the Hobart Ronald McDonald House, which will Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) creates, finds and supports programs across Australia that help seriously ill children and their families. Ronald McDonald House is the cornerstone program of RMHC.
The Houses provide a home away from home for families of seriously ill children receiving life-saving treatments at nearby hospitals.
