The National Day of Volunteering isthe day when we encourage everyone in Ireland to give volunteering a go, to show that – even for a minute, an hour, a day – volunteering can make a big difference and be a lot of fun! NDV 2011 took place on Friday. September 30th, 2011. Co-ordinated by Volunteer Ireland and more than 20 Volunteer Centres across Ireland, the National Day of Volunteering 2011 saw a record number of participants.

The National Day of Volunteering 2011 Knit-a-thon

The flagship event for the National Day of Volunteering 2011 was a national ‘knit-a-thon’. Thousands of volunteers across the country knitted scarves, hats and mittens for a range of charity organisations including Age Action, ARC Cancer Support, Bees for Battons, CASA, Friends of the Rotunda Hostpital, Irish Heart Foundation, Oxfam and Third Age. Volunteer Ireland partnered with the Irish Countrywomen’s Association whose members knit thousands of hats, scarves and mittens which went on sale throughout Kilkenny stores nationwide in aid of the Irish Heart Foundation. Over 10,000 ICA members participated in the project raising up to €50,000 for the Irish Heart Foundation. At 1pm on NDV 2011, hundreds of knitters gathered at over 50 public ‘knitting sites’ across Ireland to set a new record for ‘Most People Knitting Simultaneously’. 

Who took part in NDV 2011?

 Individuals

Thousands of individuals across the country took part in hands-on volunteering projects, ‘knit-a-thon’ events and volunteer thank you parties. Hundreds of people across the country carried out ‘Random Acts of Volunteering’ (RAV), taking time out of their day to help others. This year an RAV card was produced and distributed, encouraging volunteers to ‘pass on’ the act of kindness.

Schools

Schools across the country got involved in NDV 2011 by taking part in fundraising and hands-on volunteering projects. Examples included students at the Community College Killorglin, Co. Kerry who organised a breakfast morning to benefit Childline. Over 80 Transition year students from Tallaght Community School in Dublin took part in a clean up of Tallaght and surrounding estates. Students from St. Alexandra College, Dundrum took part in a very special Grand Canal clean up in Dublin, which saw the Presidential candidates lend a hand in the project!

Colleges / Universities

Third level institutions got involved with NDV 2011 by hosting volunteer fairs and taking part in a host of hands-on volunteering projects. Students from Trinity College, Dublin took part in a housing renovation project with Habitat for Humanity. NUI Galway held a volunteer fair with over 80 organisations in attendance. Students from the Dublin Institute of Technology took part in NDV by cleaning up the banks of the River Dodder in Dublin.

Businesses

Staff from businesses all over Ireland made a difference by giving their time and energy to NDV 2011 projects nationwide. Campaign sponsors Pfizer encouraged staff to get involved in 11 NDV projects at seven sites across the country. At their Grangecastle site, Pfizer employees took part in a fundraising campaign for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and a ‘knit-a-thon’ event in aid of Friends of the Rotunda Hospital. O2 staff at the company’s head office in Dublin celebrated NDV by forming a giant human ‘Think Big’ logo with 300 participants. Staff from Aviva helped to paint a mural at a playground in a residential complex off Cork Street in Dublin. NDV offers a great opportunity for businesses to engage their staff in a fun, team building opportunity that makes a real difference in the community. 

Volunteer Involving Organisations

Hundreds of charities and community groups thanked volunteers on NDV 2011. This year’s ‘tweet your thanks’ campaign on twitter was a great success with organisations all over Ireland joining the online conversation, celebrating the contribution of volunteers. NDV can be a great platform for charities and community groups to recruit volunteers to tackle one-off large and daunting tasks. This year saw volunteer involving organisations organise renovations, extensive clean ups and painting projects. TidyTowns encouraged members nationwide to participate in an ‘NDV tidy up’. TidyTowns groups across the country took part in the day.