This year, Volunteers Week takes place from 1st to 7th June. This is a special week in which the public are asked to collectively say 'thank you' to the thousands of volunteers around the country.
Normally, here in our Newry & Dundalk branch, we have a party to say thank you to the over 100 volunteers who tirelessly give their time to help others.
However, 2020 has brought challenges to everyone, including the volunteer sector. As a result of the ongoing pandemic, we were not able to have our normal party but that doesn't mean we can't say thank you!
Our deputy director of Publicity, Stephen, said, "It has been a challenging year for volunteers, not only at Samaritans but across the wider charitable network here and abroad. This in turn means it has been a challenging time for our callers. From everyone at Samaritans of Newry & Dundalk this Volunteers' Week, we want to say a huge thank you to each and everyone of the 20,000 Samaritans who, whether they have been able to do their regular duties or not, have supported each other and worked hard to keep our services operational. It is at times like this that we realise how special Samaritans are! Thank you."
Ruth, Rosemary, Padraig, Ellen and Simone saying thank you!
Fiona, Lisa, Nicholas and Orla saying thank you to all of our volunteers.
Maire, who leads out Volunteer Care Team, organised an individual gift for every volunteer. She said, "“Thank you to each and everyone of the volunteers in Samaritans of Newry & Dundalk for all the time and commitment they give to our branch, year in and year out. Their compassion and enthusiasm are vital to supporting our callers. A social thank you to the members of the Volunteer Care team, Philomena, Jane and Ellen, for all the help and encouragement they give to our volunteers.”
Maire, our Deputy Director of Volunteer Care
