Laois people urged to check out the value of volunteering

To celebrate National Volunteering Week, Laois Partnership Company’s Volunteering Information Services is hosting an Open Day where people can drop in and learn more about volunteering.

There’s no obligation and no pressure – just come and see what it’s all about!

Laois Volunteering Information Service will be in Laois Shopping Centre on Wednesday 17th May from 11am – 4pm.

Peter O'Neill is Chairman of Laois Partnership Company.

“Volunteers do tremendous work all over Ireland giving their time for charities and their local communities. We often talk about the impact volunteers have on the people and organisations they volunteer with and now we want to shine a light on the impact it has on the volunteer themselves.

“Gaining new skills, making friends, building confidence and feeling part of the community are all part and parcel of being a volunteer. While a lot of people begin volunteering because they’d like to give something back, many volunteers find that they actually get more from the experience than they give.”

Mr O'Neill said Laois is part of a national network of Volunteer Centres across the country to support anyone who wants to volunteer in Laois. He encourages anyone who is thinking about volunteering to visit us this week and find out how you can get involved.

In a new survey carried out nationally including Laois Partnership Company’s Volunteering Information Service, 55% of respondents said their mental health and well-being had improved following their volunteering experience while 65% reported an increase in their self-esteem.

Details of the survey of almost 1800 volunteers were released to launch National Volunteering Week 2017, which takes place from 15th to 21st May. National Volunteering Week is an annual event which showcases the fantastic work done by volunteers across the country; how people can get involved in volunteering and how your local Volunteering Information Service can support you.

This year’s National Volunteering Week will focus on health and well-being by showcasing the positive impact volunteering can have on those that volunteer.

To mark the week, Volunteer Ireland and the network of Volunteer Centres and Volunteering Information Services will launch a report on the impact that volunteering has on the health and well-being of volunteers.
For more information: Debbie Oxley 087 252 3171

About Volunteer Ireland
Volunteer Ireland is the national volunteer development agency and a support body for all local Volunteer Centres and Volunteering Information Services in Ireland. Our vision is every person connected to and participating in their communities to build a better Irish society. Volunteer Ireland works to increase awareness of, access to and quality in volunteering in Ireland. For further information, visit: http://www.volunteer.ie/

About Volunteer Centres and Volunteering Information Services

The 21 Volunteer Centres provide a placement service between individuals and groups who want to undertake voluntary activity and organisations that are seeking to involve volunteers. Volunteer Centres are the local leaders in community engagement, supporting and promoting volunteering. The aims of the 6 Volunteering Information Services in Ireland are the same as Volunteer Centres. As Volunteering Information Services are at the first stage of development of a Volunteer Centre, they provide a basic service, hosting a website and providing access to the I-VOL database.
About the National Survey of Volunteers

The national survey of volunteers was carried out online among volunteers registered with local Volunteer Centres and Volunteering Information Services between 27th January and 8th March 2017. The survey received 1,797 responses.