As part of the ‘Killaloe/Ballina Family Resource Centre loves Volunteers’ campai…

As part of the ‘Killaloe/Ballina Family Resource Centre loves Volunteers’ campaign we are running this Valentine’s Week we are posting a short story about volunteers involved in our project every day.
Today the first of five …

Volunteers make an enormous contribution to our work here at the Killaloe/Ballina Community and Family Resource Centre. A couple of years ago we made contact with local retirement groups and in these groups found many people who had long careers in education. Last year, a retired woman arrived to the centre offering to become involved as she had heard about us and the work we do. She has the most incredible background in adult education having set up and delivered of a range of programmes in Adult Education with Limerick VEC. Not only has she a wealth of expertise and experience but also her personality, her heart and her love of community shine through.
Together we identified literacy as a big area of need for us and an area of expertise and great interest to our new volunteer, the perfect match! Over the last year she has worked on a one-to-one basis every Thursday with up to eight local adults experiencing literacy/learning issues. She has made a huge difference to them with one participant going back to employment and a number of others now involved in community groups and initiatives.
We are currently working on establishing a Literacy Programme in the community with Tipperary ETB and that is all down to her hard work, her heart, her commitment, her experience and her love of community. She has made a huge difference to me, to the other staff members, to the work of Training and Education and to all those who participated in her programme. We are very grateful to her.