PRESIDENT MARY McAleese spent Saturday afternoon with what she described as “the best people on the whole island”, and urged other people to join them in the coming year.
She was addressing about 300 volunteers who had gathered at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin, to mark the official start of European Year of Volunteering.
They included volunteers in such sectors as animal care, the arts, homelessness, multiple sclerosis support, youth work, senior citizens support, community work, disabilities, meningitis, rehabilitation, international development, sports and addiction services.
Mrs McAleese said we all knew how harsh the world had become during the recession.
“But we have no idea how unbearable it would be without the commitment and energy of volunteers. If volunteers across Ireland stopped their volunteering tomorrow, there would be an ice age – a social, cultural, individual, horrendous ice age.
“It is just impossible to enumerate what volunteers add to the quality of our lives and the million different ways they do it.”
The main aim of the year will be to raise awareness of the impact that volunteering has on society, to encourage organisations to invest in volunteers and to facilitate people who want to volunteer.
Volunteering Ireland announced a dedicated website, which went live at the weekend, where volunteer organisations can register their events on an online calendar. There is also information about how to volunteer with organisations where particular skills might be useful.
Among those at the event was the youngest volunteer, Harry McLaughlin (7), from Bray, Co Wicklow, who last year raised €5,000 for Haiti. He is planning to raise money again this year.
“I saw Haiti on the television and I saw how it was devastated and how a million children couldn’t go to school, so I did a swim, a run and a walk,” he said.
“I did them over two days in February. I raised the money and I gave it to Concern. I felt great after, very healthy.”
Joan Coughlan (92), from Summerhill, Co Meath, volunteers with the Senior Helpline three hours per day and also teaches children knitting. “The older people have so many problems in life but the main one is loneliness,” she said. “I listen to them and I feel I’m doing some little thing to help.”
Ante Spunde, from Latvia, founded the eLVé Latvian choir, for the Latvian community in Ireland five years ago, “just to preserve Latvian culture for the community here, to show our best”.
The choir has 40 members.
“I started it because we need it, the Latvian people here need it. It keeps spirits up and we get fun from it.” There were about 30,000 Latvians in Ireland from a country with a population of 2.5 million, “so, yes, there are a lot of Latvians here”.
Mrs McAleese said there was a phrase, “he who gives when he is asked has waited too long”.
“Volunteers are people who see a need and say ‘let me help’. That offer of help is made without thought of any personal reward beyond the fulfilment that comes from giving.”
* EYV2011.ie
