volunteer

Without our volunteers we couldn't do the things we do. Our events, our programs, our social gatherings would all grind to a halt without the hearts and the hands, the skills and the brains, of our many volunteers.

Our volunteers give us soul.
When you visit, they're the ones that make you feel the failte!

There is a basic need to help others in all of us, to give of ourselves in some way to make the world a better place. For many of you, the most precious resource you have is your time, so providing an environment that makes volunteering worthwhile for you is something we strive to achieve at our Center.

To enhance our volunteers' participation and satisfaction to the maximum we go by the Leader-Pool model.

Some volunteers like to be leaders; they like to bring a project or program to life and keep it running. In other words, they like to own it. There is a lot of responsibility with this role; it's similar to being an unpaid staff member. But with it comes great satisfaction and reward.

Others like to devote some time on a regular basis, being directed to carry out valuable tasks as needed, but their personal schedule often precludes them from being available, except occasionally. For many of our activities we draw from a pool of volunteers, under the direction of a volunteer leader or a staff member.

A fine example of our Leader-Pool dynamic at work is our Saturday morning Computer Club, which is entirely run and maintained by volunteers. In this activity, seniors are introduced to computers and the Internet as tools of research and communication through informal one-on-one tutorials given by volunteers. These volunteers are drawn from a pool. For any given Saturday, the program leader reviews his roster of volunteers and polls it for those who are available to come along. He also polls his list of participating seniors to see who wants to come on down. That's how he builds a nice gathering of young and old with lots of fun and craic for all. It also helps that he's very handy on computers! And some of seniors are great for bringing along tasty sandwiches and biscuits!

Are you interested in volunteering with us?
Do you see yourself as a leader, or as a team player in our volunteer pool? Whatever your preference, fill out this form and let us know more about you.

And for you leaders out there, our doors are open to the creativity of the community, and we love to experiment. If you have an idea that is consistent with our mission, and want to roll up your sleeves, we'll enable it!