Minister for Justice & Equality, Charlie Flanagan, has announced that the Department of Rural and Community Development have confirmed the provision of funding from the Dormant Accounts Fund to upgrade the Laois Volunteer Information Services to a full Volunteer Centre.
This news fulfills the commitment to provide the necessary funding to upgrade Volunteer Information Services to full Volunteer Centres, outlined in the Dormant Accounts Fund Action Plan 2018.
This will allow for a consistent level of volunteering service nationwide.
In total eight centres are to be upgraded including Cavan, Kilkenny, Leitrim, Laois, Offaly, Roscommon, Waterford and Wexford.
“I am very pleased that the Laois Volunteer Information Service is included in the eight centres across the county that is to be upgraded to a full Volunteer Centre.
“These organisations play a central role in facilitating and supporting the development of volunteering in their areas. The value of these centres cannot be understated.
“Volunteer Centres provide a placement service between individuals and groups who want to undertake voluntary activity and organisations that are seeking to involve volunteers.
“The Current Information Service is operated from the Laois Partnership Office in Lismard Court and is one of the busiest in the country.
“Through the volunteer Information service, Laois Partnership is delivering a number of projects including Fáilte Isteach English conversation classes to 5 groups in Portlaoise, Rathdowney and the Direct Provision Centre in the Montague.
“They also operate a befriending service which facilitates visits to older people. This service has matched 53 volunteers with a similar number of older people and at any one time there are 30 volunteers visiting older people across the county. ”
“Volunteering has a key role to play in developing communities. All my life I have known people who have been dedicated to voluntary work.
“It is clear that for volunteerism to thrive in a community, we need leaders, we need motivators, we need generosity, we need civic mindedness and community spirit, we need those who inspire and those who mentor and recruit.
“The funding provided by the Department is designed to strengthen and foster this very thing. ” Minister Flanagan concluded.
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