Three Offaly volunteers shortlisted for national award

Three volunteers from Offaly have been shortlisted for this year’s Volunteer Ireland Awards. The three volunteers, Sheila Foy, David McEvoy and Gary Farrell, were amongst 500 volunteers from across the country that were nominated for their selfless work on the behalf of others, but only 29 have made it through the ceremony which takes place in Dublin’s City Hall on December 7.

Sheila Foy has been involved with the Tullamore Special Olympics Club since 2008. Recently she took on the task of raising €3,000 for the Austria World Winter Games 2017. She came up with the idea of holding a group sky dive event which resulted in not only the €3,000 being raised but also €9,000 on top of that with the final figure growing each day. Many of the skydivers commented that they would not jump out of a plane for anyone else except Sheila. As an individual who is committed to her club and to special Olympics Ireland Sheila has changed the lives of people with an intellectual disability within her community and throughout the country.

David McEvoy set up Birr Community Responders Group in March 2012. Over the past four and a half years David and the group have attended many emergencies in Birr and the surrounding areas. In David’s time as leader, he has trained his group to high standards with ongoing monthly training. David has also trained hundreds of people in CPR from school level to adult.

Gary Farrell founded Scoliosis Ireland almost six years ago. since 2010, Gary has built up one of the largest scoliosis communities/ groups outside the USA with over 1200 members. He gives up his time to talk to parents and patients and offer them support and reassurance and even some members who live in other parts of the world. He often stays up half the night just to offer them an ear and someone to listen to and talk to. Gary has scoliosis himself and struggles every day with pain but he’s never too busy to help others.