The Louth Volunteer Leader Awards, which took place on Wednesday last in O’Connell’s GAA club in Castlebellingham, were the perfect opportunity to recognise the selfless work of volunteer leaders which is usually carried out behind the scenes and rarely recognised.
“To read the nominations coming in and hear more about the incredible work being done in Louth by Volunteer Leaders was humbling” said Olivia Conlon, Volunteer Development Officer with Louth Volunteer Centre. “I certainly did not envy the judges and the difficult job they had of choosing the awardees.
“We were absolutely delighted to be joined at the event by all the nominees and to have the opportunity to celebrate the work they do.
The winner ofthe Drogheda/South Louth Category was Sinead Nugent from Connect FRC. As the person who nominated Sinead stated, “Sinead is someone who absolutely values and prioritises the work and commitment of volunteers.”
The awardee in Mid Louth was Orla Brennan with Dynamites Basketball Club. “Orla has encouraged numerous teenager’s male and female to participate in the introduction to coaching therefore encouraging our young to continue the legacy of coaching basketball” says Orla’s nominator. Orla has done fantastic work in promoting the club and even after a serious injury continued to be there and offer her support.
The award recipient for the Dundalk/North Louth category was Mary Murdock from Dundalk RFC. Mary has been with the club for a staggering 17 years. “Mary started Dundalk RFCs bid to Tackle Breast Cancer with an army of volunteers behind her raising thousands for Breast Cancer Research and the local Louth Palliative Care.” says Mary’s daughter Sophia who nominator her for the award.
The final category was the Leading Young Volunteers which was won by Calvin Magee from M.A.D Youth Theatre. “Calvin seamlessly made the switch to leader last year. He is looked up too by the members as he used to be ‘one of them’. This is what Kwasie and I aimed for, to be made redundant by our young members” say Gerry another M.A.D Youth Theatre leader who nominated Calvin for this award.
Louth Volunteer Centre would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Volunteer Leaders in Louth for their amazing work and contribution to the community. We would also like to thank the wonderful volunteer judges who took on the incredibly difficult task of choosing the awardees. They were Nina Arwitz CEO of Volunteer Ireland, Mary Deery former Community Development Lead of Louth County Council, Michelle Hall Mayor of Drogheda, and Dawn Finnegan of Dawn LA Blog.
If you would like to find out more about volunteering in Louth contact Louth Volunteer Centre on 041-9809008 or info@volunteerlouth.ie
