Waterford Volunteer Centre share 'Stories That Inspire'

Waterford Volunteer Centre launched their collection of personal stories at Garter Lane on Thursday, May 21.

The booklet is titled 'Volunteers from Waterford - Stories That Inspire' and tells the story of over 20 volunteers.

These stories come from a diverse mix of people from every walk of life; a Sudanese man living in an accommodation centre, a grieving couple who fled Beirut, a retired fireman helping new arrivals settle in Waterford. 

In the five years since it first opened, Waterford Volunteer Centre has accrued 2,700 registered volunteers who contribute thousands of hours of service across the Déise.

Manager of Waterford Volunteer Centre Réka Széplaki welcomed the members and guests at Garter Lane for the launch of their booklet. She said: "Volunteering plays a really big role in our community."

"Powerful message"

Deputy Mayor for Waterford City and County Council John Pratt shared a few words at the launch, congratulating everyone involved in the creation of the booklet. He said: "Keep doing what you're doing, it is so important to us."

On the booklet itself, he said: "What shines through each story is a simple but powerful message. You are never too young or too old to start volunteering, and every one of us, regardless of background or circumstances, has a valuable place in our community."

Mayor Pratt recognised the volunteers who are often shrouded in the background: "Every day, people quietly give their time to schools, sports clubs, neighbors, charities, and local causes often without ever calling themselves volunteers. I find some volunteers are the ones that are in the background all the time, they're not the ones that are necessarily out in the front of the photograph, so fair deuce to them.

 "This booklet recognizes and celebrates all those people across Waterford County, people working from every corner for every cause."

Secretary of the centre Deirdre Power thanked the team behind the booklet, including editor Anna Kachanivska, contributors Vicky Wall, Paul Deegan and Réka, illustrator and designer Natalia Sliusar.

Deirdre said: "This booklet really shows the diversity and the inclusion and all the people celebrated in this are fantastic volunteers. I work alongside some of them at different times in a volunteering role and it gives us great pleasure to have this and to be able to say: 'Yes, this is what are volunteers do.'"

Two-way street

The launch ended with Réka encouraged everyone gathered to spread the word about volunteering. She said : "Volunteering is a two-way street; it helps the community, it glues it together. It helps you meet new friends, to get a purpose, to try out something new."

"Officially we have around 2,700 registered volunteers in the county right now, and they contribute about 10,000 hours yearly. This is the working hours they provide, but these are only the registered volunteers."

"There is a lot of invisible volunteering, we just see the impact but not the people, so reach out to them and share their stories too."

To learn more about Waterford Volunteer Centre and how to get involved, go to volunteerwaterford.ie.