Gwen Maher, a GAA coach from Ballymun in Dublin, has been named Ireland’s Volunteer of the Year at the 2022 Volunteer Ireland Awards. The awards, which took place in Dublin on Friday 2nd December, celebrate Ireland’s outstanding volunteers.
Category: Volunteer Stories
My Volunteer Story: Follyvi, Community Volunteer
Follyvi: ‘As an asylum seeker, all of the volunteers are my family’
My Volunteer Story: Bronagh Fleming, dog fosterer
Bronagh Fleming: ‘Volunteering as a dog fosterer has increased my happiness 100%.’
My Volunteer Story: Adam Ó Ceallaigh, Scouting Ireland
Adam Ó Ceallaigh: ‘There are endless opportunities in scouting. It’s really nice to be part of.’
Mary-Louise Ryan, Galway Community Volunteers
Mary-Louise Ryan: ‘I’ve been volunteering at a Community Centre, helping Ukrainian children.’
Karen McHugh, Laois Integration Network
Karen McHugh: ‘It’s so important to me, I volunteer full-time as well as working full-time.’
Carmel, ALONE
Carmel: ‘ALONE gave me the tools and I have gained a friend who I adore’
Managing volunteers with Aware
Aware is a national charity that supports people experiencing low mood, anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder.
Mary Nee, Galway Samaritans
With five children, Mary’s time was limited but when she got the chance to volunteer eleven years ago, she never looked back!
Eddie Smyth, Greystones Cancer Support
Eddie Smyth has been volunteering for about five years driving cancer patients to their appointments with both Greystones Cancer Support and Wicklow Cancer Support.