Tag Archives: Sharon Meaney

THE positivity that surrounded the huge level of voluntary participation in the London Olympics has been likened to that which was seen in Ennis for the 2016 All-Ireland Fleadh. “In London, people got involved in the event by volunteering to help in many ways. It was a sense of ownership, there was plenty to do,” commented Sharon Meaney, development manager of Clare Volunteer Centre Team. “In Ennis last year, there was also a strong sense of ownership of the Fleadh. A total of 1,549 volunteers registered with us and many more helped directly at camp sites. “As well as people from the town and Clare, we had volunteers from the UK and much farther afield. They were from diverse backgrounds, all spectrum of society, and what was very encouraging for us was the fact that 10% of the total were under 18. “One of the lovely aspects about the profile of the volunteers was family support. We had quite a …

LAST year saw an increase of volunteer registrations with the Clare Volunteer Centre, bringing the total number of volunteers registered to more than 1,400 people, who contributed over 8,563 hours to the local community – up from 7,949 in 2013. These volunteers are only a small fraction of the estimated 41% of Irish people who volunteered in 2014. Of the volunteers who signed up in 2014, the most popular areas of interest were befriending/mentoring, retail and teaching/tutoring. The most popular reasons for wanting to volunteer were, to assist career/employment prospects and to make a difference in the community. Nearly two-thirds of the volunteers who signed up with the Clare Volunteer Centre last year had never volunteered before and more than 160 community and voluntary organisations are now registered with Clare Volunteer Centre. Commenting on 2014, Sharon Meaney, manager with the Clare Volunteer Centre, said, “Every year, we are delighted to see the registration figures for the Clare Volunteer Centre increasing. …