City workers try their hand at volunteering for a day
Eileen Hale from ACC Bank lending a hand in the garden makeover at St Francis Nursing Home, Newcastle, as part of Give It A Swirl Day.
By Mary O’connor
Teams of volunteers were busy all over the city recently as part of “Give it A Swirl Day - Ireland’s national day of volunteering.
The events were co-ordinated by Galway Volunteer Centre, the one-stop shop for volunteering in the city and county.
Groups of volunteers from Jurys Hotel, ACC Bank and Oracle visited community organisations such as the St Vincent De Paul Society, St Francis Nursing Home and COPE. Much of the activities involved gardening and landscaping work at the various centres.
“It was fantastic to have such valuable work all happening on the one day,” says Donncha Foley, development manager of Galway Volunteer Centre (GVC). “The businesses and employees involved should be congratulated for their generosity of time and spirit.”
The GVC, local businesses and community organisations were preparing for the day since before summer. “Many of those who took part had never volunteered before and we were delighted to give the opportunity to see how enjoyable it can be,” he says.
Volunteers registered with GVC have contributed about 51,000 hours in terms of volunteering in their local community in the last three years which is the equivalent of 31 full-time workers, he outlines.
“Statistics also show that most of the people registering with the centre have never volunteered before. The 2,600 people that are registered with us represent a huge bank of skills and energy that can be given to the community in these difficult times.”
People interested in becoming volunteers can visit the organisation’s office at 17/18 Mill Street or telephone (091) 539930 or register online at www.volunteergalway.ie The centre usually has around 100 vacancies available at any one time. It tries to meet as many people as possible to identify suitable opportunities for them.
Galway Volunteer Centre is a one-stop shop for voluntary activity, providing volunteering opportunities for the public, sourcing much needed volunteers for organisations and providing support for organisations in managing volunteers.
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