“There is some wonderful work been done by volunteers and I wanted to be part of it.”

Sister Rosemary began her volunteering journey in 2020 when she registered with Louth Volunteer Centre. “I had been working full time in our ministry, in finance. I was coming out of that job, and I was looking for something on a part time basis.”

On her motivation to volunteer, she said; “I’m still reasonably active so while I can do something it would be good to do it.” Another reason Sister Rosemary is motivated to get involved in volunteering in her local community is “I am very aware of some of the needs around Drogheda and I wanted to get involved in some of the different groups, they seem to be doing great work and I thought I would like to get involved.” 

Sister Rosemary feels like she has got a lot out of her volunteering journey. “I find it very life giving.” Sister Rosemary is currently volunteering with the Family Resource Centre in Moneymore. “They’re just a wonderful group of people... I’m very much energised when I’m with them.” One of the aspects that Sister Rosemary particularly enjoyed about volunteering was that it was something totally different for her, having spent her life working behind a desk.

One of the moments that have really stood out to Sister Rosemary during her volunteer journey, was when she volunteered to steward at a football match. “I had never done that in my life before and I never had such an enjoyable day. It was great fun.” 

Sister Rosemary found the support of Louth Volunteer centre “absolutely fantastic, It’s lovely to get the email every week and know what’s going on.” Sister Rosemary recommends attending the ‘Exploring Volunteering’ sessions. Sister Rosemary enjoyed getting to meet the other people that attended the sessions. “it gives you a sense of being part of the group and I found that very helpful.” “I find Louth volunteer Centre very supportive.” Sister Rosemary would encourage people to register with Louth Volunteer Centre. “Once you are registered, they will send the different needs and you can make a choice then of what you can do.”

When it comes to getting involved in volunteering Sister Rosemary would advise people to “go for it, it’s just great. Even if it’s only for a few hours a week it all helps.” Sister Rosemary feels there is such a need out there for volunteers and “we all have something to offer.” 

“Ireland is run on the work of volunteers.” 

“When it’s my time to go I will be happy that I did something.”

It was 2008 when he first joined a voluntary organisation, but he has much experience with volunteering before this. Riyadh started volunteering with Dundalk Red Cross back then and he is still a volunteer with them to date.

Riyadh registered with Louth Volunteer Centre in 2019 and has volunteered in numerous roles that he has found through Louth Volunteer Centre. He told me, “Louth Volunteer Centre has recognised me and given me opportunities.” and that it “has always made time for me.” I asked Riyadh if he felt that the Louth Volunteer Centre had supported him on his volunteer journey, and he said “no doubt about that. Louth Volunteer Centre are very informative and great with communication, they will send you emails, call and text you, top class.”

Riyadh is a very active volunteer who gets involved with many different roles. Riyadh is motivated to volunteer by his beliefs, “I believe that God has created us to help each other.” Riyadh feels that at times that he has needed help or support people have offered him that and it is important for him to offer help and support to people through volunteering to repay this kindness.

Riyadh spoke to me about the skills that you can gain from volunteering, for example, the communication skills you learn and how important they are for any area of work. It is for this reason Riyadh would encourage young people to get involved in volunteering. Riyadh told me about his admiration for young people that volunteer. He said, “I always admire the young kids” he feels they could easily sit down to watch football or play games but instead they give up their time to volunteer. “I am inspired by them.”When I asked Riyadh if he had a favourite volunteer moment, he told he had many. He told me a story about one that really stood out to him. When he first moved to Ireland 25 years ago, he was living in Cork and met a man there that helped guide him and was a good friend. “I hadn’t seen him in 16 years.” Riyadh was volunteering at an event and said “he came from nowhere. I was 46 years old, and I was crying in front of the crowd, it was a great moment for me. I was so close to him.” Riyadh had lost contact with his friend when he moved from Cork and believes if he wasn’t volunteering at that event that day he would be still out of contact with his friend.

Riyadh also spoke about the connections as another important thing to be gained from volunteering. He said, “were not just a team it’s a family.” “The nicest thing about volunteering is the number of good people I have met.”

If you are interested in getting involved with volunteering register today on www.volunteerlouth.ie

“My family have said the difference in me since I have started volunteering to now, they said they have got Paul back.”

Paul began his volunteering journey in 2018. He registered with Louth Volunteer Centre and a short time later the role for Fleadh Volunteer came up and he knew it was the role for him. Paul has an underlying condition that left him very unwell and unable to work for several years. He says that he found volunteering a good way to motivate him to get back out there. “It’s a reason to get out of bed, for a long time I didn’t have a reason to leave the house.” 

It was then through Louth Volunteer Centre Paul found his role as a Meet and Greet Volunteer with the hospital. Paul said “that changed everything for me. I got my confidence back.” Paul also said that it was through his volunteer journey that he ended up retraining as a health Care Worker after spending most of his life working as a chef. 

Paul felt that Louth Volunteer Centre really supported him on his volunteer journey. “I felt at ease calling into the centre, I was always made feel very welcome.” Paul developed a good relationship with the team in Louth Volunteer Centre and feels that they “seen the difference in me when I was volunteering.” Paul felt he started as a very underconfident person and progressed into someone who got their confidence back and found their way back into employment through volunteering.  

When I asked Paul about his favourite volunteer moment, he had a unique answer. “When I was Volunteering in the hospital as a meet and greet volunteer a young couple came into the hospital and it was very obvious, she was about to give birth any minute, she ended up having the baby 2 feet in front of me.”

Another moment Paul found very special was again during his meet and greet role in the hospital. A woman came in with a young child in her arms. The child noticed Paul’s lack of hair and decided she wanted to ‘polish’ Paul’s head. Paul ended up staying with the young girl and accompanying her all the way down the corridor to X-Ray. Paul was able to connect with people during this role and able to offer them comfort. 

Paul ended up progressing into employment due to the skills and experience he gained through his volunteering. “The manager of the volunteer team approached me and told me I should retrain as a health care assistant, he said he could see it in me.” Paul laughed at this at first but ended up looking into it and decided to go for it and loved every bit of it. Paul said, “I actually ended up doing my work placement in the A&E of the hospital I volunteered at.”

Another benefit Paul found on his volunteer journey was the connections he made. “I have met so many people through volunteering.” 

Paul would encourage other people to get involved in volunteering and recommends that people research the roles that are available out there and find one that suits you. 

If you are interested in volunteering register with us today at www.volunteerlouth.ie and find your perfect role. 

Enda McBride is one of our very own volunteers here at Louth Volunteer Centre. Enda began his volunteer journey 12 years ago when he was just 15. He first volunteered with his local Tidy Towns group as part of his Gaisce award.

Enda was a member of the DKIT volunteer society and progressed to membership of the committee for the volunteer society, organising volunteer opportunities for students to engage with. It was then that Enda registered with Louth Volunteer Centre in 2013 and has found several roles through the support of the centre. Enda said he felt that Louth Volunteer Centre was “a great resource to connect people to organisations.” He also felt it was a helpful resource for volunteers as “you can call someone up and find out what roles are available.” 

When I asked Enda what motivates him to keep volunteering, he told me, “I like how good it makes me feel, I am making a difference to people’s lives and helping out some great causes.” Enda feels that by volunteering it has given him confidence and helped him to develop a lot of new skills. “Volunteering overall can help people to develop their skill set and can help them learn new things.” Enda also feels that volunteering is a good way for people who are trying to get into employment to gain experience. 

When I asked Enda if he had a favourite volunteering moment, he told me “I don’t think I could narrow it down to just one. It has all been a very good experience.” Enda has been involved in both once off volunteering like fundraising for Dundalk Dog Rescue and more long-term volunteering like his administrative role with Louth Volunteer Centre. One role that Enda particularly enjoyed was his role with Saint Vincent de Paul. “They were a great organisation to get involved with. They do a lot of fantastic work for a lot of people, and I felt like I belonged there.”

Enda would encourage people to get out there and get involved in volunteering. “Volunteering has so many benefits, not only is it good for your own personal health, but it can also make you feel valuable. It is also good for your CV, and it can give you loads of transferable skills.” “Volunteering can really give you a boost.” 

If you would like to find out more about the volunteer roles available in Louth, please click this link, www.volunteerlouth.ie