Volunteering has provided me with opportunities to get involved in my local communities, to increase my understanding of the issues faced by some service users, to achieve a sense of purpose in my life & to make friends.
After teaching in Chicago for 30 years, I retired in 2015 & returned to Ireland, knowing no one & with lots of free time on my hands.
One of my first stops was with Fiona in Wicklow Volunteer Centre. She made me feel welcome & feel needed, assuring me that many organisations were looking for volunteers.
I’ve helped several groups in & around Wicklow Town. I’ve tutored exuberant children in an afterschool homework club in Ballyguile, taught English to eager refugees and immigrants in the Pastoral Centre and Child & Family Services, chatted to & befriended some delightful seniors in Wicklow Day Centre, weeded endlessly and planted bulbs and shrubs in the gardens at Wicklow Hospice, sold memorabilia and ice cream in the RNLI shop & written monthly letters to residents in a nursing home. Some of the volunteer work involved skills that I already have, while other programmes, have put me in new situations.
Another particularly rewarding involvement was helping a refugee family resettle in Wicklow town. A team of volunteers worked tirelessly for about 2 years, preparing for their arrival, helping them settle in, providing them with opportunities to improve their English, assisting them to access health services, age-appropriate education & local sports clubs. It’s immensely rewarding to know that the family is now functioning very well on their own, no longer needing us other than as friends.
I would say to anyone who is thinking of volunteering that it is extremely worthwhile. There is someone out there who could benefit from your time & attention. And you will benefit, knowing that you have made a difference in someone’s life & have learned about life in the different communities in your locality. With luck, you’ll make some great friends with people of all ages & backgrounds who share a desire to make life a little easier for others.