Volunteers in Cork 'are best of the best', says centre manager

Founded 26 years ago, the Cork Volunteer Centre is managed by Adam Lacey and a team dedicated to bringing volunteers, businesses, and community groups together.

Over the years, they have had a few homes but are now settled on North Main Street in the city centre. It’s a place that allows people to drop in when they’re passing, Adam says.

There are 29 volunteer centres around the country, one for every county, and four in Dublin. The core funding comes from the Department of Rural and Community Development.

In Cork, there are eight paid staff, two people on the CE scheme, and 10 volunteers at the moment in house, along with the hundreds of volunteers dotted around the city and county.

There are approximately 2,500 volunteers referred to charities each year. So what do people volunteer most for?

“We have a lot of volunteers who look for placements with festivals or events, that would entail stewarding at places like Fitzgerald Park during the summer months,” explains Adam.

“There are a lot of students that want to get involved, and if they are studying English, this can be the perfect opportunity to put into practise what they’ve learned.

“Also, we get a lot of people that are retired or have some spare time and want to do something interesting and productive.

“They want to connect with other people so they might go into a charity shop where they are interacting with the public.”

The Cork Volunteer Centre works with groups like Alone.

“We work with 50 local charities,” says Adam, “and there are about 1,500 registered volunteers within our group for these charities.

These people volunteer at several locations.

“You have some that might be with the community garden on a Monday and be in a charity shop another day.

“People make connections when they volunteer and this may lead to joining other social groups and making new friends,” adds Adam.

“In turn, their new friends may decide to volunteer as well. Or maybe join a book club or choir.”

People of all ages volunteer, but Adam says their biggest age bracket is mid-20s to mid-40s.

He says the age range has come down in recent years, adding: “With more working from home or working remotely, and finding themselves a bit isolated, they want to get out and connect with others in their free time.

“For some, it’s about their mental wellbeing. Some companies are now offering their staff the opportunity to volunteer with us for a few hours as part of their corporate social responsibility.

“Also, some companies will sponsor a group to get involved in a project, for example a community garden or mural painting.”

The centre’s focus is a mix of city and county. “We hold pop-up volunteer centres all over the county,” says Adam. “We try to do one per month in a different location. They’re held in the local library.

“We will tell people what is available in their local area and what may be coming up in the future.”

Garda vetting takes place for anyone that will be dealing with children or vulnerable adults.

The good news is that volunteer numbers are increasing.

“Volunteering brings out the best in people,” says Adam. “There are a lot of stresses and worries out there and the online world can be hard to deal with so interacting with others reminds you of the warmth and kindness within communities.

“The Cork community that we meet here every day are the best of the best.”

Some also get employment from volunteering.

“Two of the staff here started as volunteers on schemes and many find jobs in the places they volunteer at,” says Adam.

“What we do here helps people to develop and grow, and from that they can find new opportunities.

“Confidence grows when you have a purpose and make new friends.”

What if someone doesn’t know what they would like to volunteer at?

“They can just pop in and have a chat with a member of the team to see what might suit them,” says Adam.

“Maybe they have a skill that they would like to put to use, or maybe they have a few hours on a particular day that they would like to do something positive with.

“We’re here to help and refer you to the perfect role.

“Some people who work in an office might like to be outdoors, for example, or perhaps work with Meals on Wheels or their local Tidy Towns group.”

Upcoming outreach pop-ups are being held at the following places.

Youghal library, September 8, 10.30am to 12.30pm.

Mitchelstown Library, October 13, 10.30am to 12.30pm.

Mallow Library, November 17, 10.30am to 12.30pm.

The Cork Volunteer Awards will be held at St Peter’s on North Main Street on October 3.

Call into the centre at 13 North Main Street.

Visit them at www.volunteercork.ie

Email: info@volunteercork.ie

Or call 021- 4251572.