Clare Gives it a Swirl

Give it a Swirl, the national day of volunteering, is a unique initiative that concentrates on hands-on involvement; giving volunteers an immediate sense of achievement. The Clare Volunteer Centre supported a number of projects around the county on September 25th 2009. 

The day went really well.  Mobile Phone Clinics were held in Carrigaholt, Scarriff, Sixmilebridge, Shannon, Ennis (Dunnes) and Ennis (McDonalds).  Volunteers were on hand to show older people how to use their mobile phones. The mobile phone clinics were really well received.  In Shannon, there were 7 volunteers from Elsevier, Shannon  who were really well received by people wanting to know more about the ICE number, and basic information on how to use their mobile phone.  In Scarriff, we had a group of ladies who attended the clinic in Scarriff Library and were keen to get grips with the mobile phone which had previously only been used by their grandchildren.  By the end of the session texts were flying.  In Ennis they also proved popular and this is definitely an initiative we will be progressing further in conjunction with Age Action. 

The Litter Busting Event in the Fair Green was fantastic.  23 Children from the Scoil Chriost Ri After School Project attended accompanied by their principal, Fiona Power and teachers Ann Tiernan and  Mary Leamy in a clean up of the Fair Green. Triona McInerney from Ennis Tidy Towns was on hand to give the children direction and encouragement as well as Aisling Halpin from the Clare Local Development Company.  Sharon Meaney Development Coordinator for the Clare Volunteer Centre was delighted with the enthusiasm shown by all of the volunteers.  "Give it a Swirl is all about encouraging people to get involved in projects in their local communities to show the real benefits of volunteering.  This year we have seen an unprecedented increase in the number of volunteers registering.  Volunteering can help to get a new perspective as well as having real benefits in keeping skills fresh and learning new skills.  What has been great about today is that we have had volunteers from all walks of life, all ages and stages.  What they all have in common is their desire to make a difference in their community and in their own life by giving their time!"

 See photos of Give it a Swirl 2009

Additional Note

The Clare Volunteer Centre offers an advice, placement and support service to people who are interested in volunteering.  The main function of a volunteer centre is to match people who are interested in volunteering with appropriate volunteering opportunities in their area.  These opportunities can be viewed online on www.volunteerclare.ie or by contacting the Development Coordinator on 065 68 66 800 to speak about the opportunities available.  The Clare Volunteer Centre also offers support to community and voluntary organisations that are actively or are planning to involve volunteers.  This is done through our volunteer referral service, access to our Garda Vetting Service and participation in the national Volunteer Management Training programme. The recession has seen a massive increase in the number of Irish people seeking to volunteer in their local communities.  The latest figures show that the amount of citizens who are prepared to give up their time to help others has more than doubled over the past year.  For the first time we see young people citing recently made redundant as a primary reason for volunteering.  Over 8,500 people have registered to volunteer nationally which is an increase of more than 115% on last year.  There has also been a large increase in the number of not for profit organisations looking for volunteers to assist them.  This figure now stands at 3,650 representing an increase of more than a 1000 over the past year. The Clare Volunteer Centre is part of the national network of Volunteer Centres (VCI).  VCI is the representative body for Irelands community of volunteer centres.  It is a national organisation with responsibility for developing volunteering nationally and locally.