Cork biopharma workers come together to refurbish outdoor facilities at local school 

A GROUP of volunteers from a Cork biopharmaceutical company joined forces with a local school in recent days to refurbish its outdoor area.

Some 37 volunteers from AbbVie’s Cork facility came together to refurbish the outdoor recreational facilities at Little Island national school.

AbbVie, a global biopharmaceutical company which has a manufacturing facility in Carrigtwohill, recently celebrated its eighth annual Week of Possibilities. The initiative is the company’s signature community volunteering programme.

Nationally, 1,100 employees from across six AbbVie locations in Cork, Dublin, Sligo and Mayo contributed more than 3,000 volunteer hours to the company’s Week of Possibilities initiative.

In Cork, 37 AbbVie employees from AbbVie’s manufacturing facilities jointly helped rejuvenate school grounds at Little Island National School.

AbbVie volunteers spent more than 184 hours on the revitalisation of outdoor school areas, including buildings, facilities and grounds, to enhance the student education experience. This work included creating an outdoor classroom, painting walls, fences, playground markings, substantial planting, the creation of inspirational murals featuring Cork sports figures, and a number of STEM-focused picnic tables.

Speaking about the positive impact of the Week of Possibilities outreach, Micheál Rea, Principal, Little Island national school, said: “We are a small school with a diverse population on a large site east of Cork city. We were delighted when AbbVie approached us about their Week of Possibilities. We had loads of ideas to improve the environment for our students but didn’t have the budget. From planning to execution, AbbVie and Volunteer Ireland have been amazing.

“The positive attitude of the volunteers was brilliant, and they couldn’t do enough. 

"It was like they were doing up their own houses!

“The painting, decorating and gardening was done to a very high standard and the outdoor classroom they created will bring smiles to our students for years to come.

“I felt like a kid on Christmas morning when I saw the end product. Our school community will be forever grateful for the amazing, transformational work done by AbbVie under the guidance of Volunteer Ireland.”

Commenting on the project, AbbVie Cork site head, Malcolm Garde said: “The Week of Possibilities reflects AbbVie’s ongoing commitment to transforming education for communities in need. Over the past number of years, AbbVie’s Cork employees have volunteered their time, talent and efforts to help improve their local communities, to do what they can to support and improve the educational resources available locally.

“I’d like to thank our incredible employees for their tremendous efforts across the week.

“They should be very proud of the work that they have done, which will make a positive impact for students and teachers at Little Island national school for years to come.”