REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION IN ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN FOR VOLUNTEERS
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION IN ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN FOR VOLUNTEERS IN CHARITABLE AND NON-PROFIT ORGANISATIONS
Is cúis mhór áthais dom fáilte a chur romhaibh go léir chuig Áras an Uachtaráin inniu.
Good afternoon everybody,
A cead mile failte to each one of you to Áras an Uachtaráin. Martin and I are delighted to see you and we thank you for making those journeys from all over the country – from the four provinces of Ireland. I hope you feel at home here and that you will enjoy this special afternoon when we gather to say a heartfelt thank‑you to the people whose voluntary fundraising work underpins so much that is good in our society.
If any confirmation was needed of just how unselfish and good-hearted this country can be – it is here in this room – for here are people who epitomise what it is to actively care about others, what it is to be generous with time and energy and talent in the cause of helping others without thought of thanks or recognition.
This afternoon’s reception serves to answer, in a way, those who wonder about the future of Ireland’s spirit of volunteerism. It serves to remind us that, on our island, there is a veritable army of volunteers who embody that essential part of our culture and heritage, where we look out for and look after one another. Without a culture of neighbour helping neighbour, we end up being just a bunch of strangers to one another, with no sense of community to cushion us from the troubles that life brings to everyone’s door at some time or another. To live as strangers among strangers, without human interaction, without friendship, without a helping hand, is to live only half a life. You are the people who ensure that life is fully lived. You see things that need to be done, gaps that need to be filled, lives that could be made better with a bit of assistance. You do not wait for someone else to do what needs to be done. You take responsibility, you do the work, raise the money, sustain the organisations, develop the services, enrich lives at home and abroad that would otherwise be considerably more difficult. It is my great privilege and good fortune to be the Patron of your dynamic, compassionate, and caring organisations and to know just how much work you do, so quietly, unobtrusively, so faithfully and successfully.
As Patron I have the easy part of the arrangement. Someone has to do the slog, and there is no job that calls for more hard slog than fundraising. You are the ones who have to be motivated and inventive in trying to prise the euro out of our pockets so that it can do good work. So you organise the race-nights, cake sales, church-gate collections, sales of work, card-drives, draws, golf classics, sponsored walks and swims and cycles and runs and races, quiz nights, bingo nights, dinner dances. You never seem to run out of ideas or enthusiasm. You are the power source, the engines that bring change for good into people’s lives. With the money you collect, lives change, hope enters and hearts lift. You may never know those whom you help but they know that they owe you thanks that you may never hear – so for them, and for all of us as a civic community so enriched by your work and your witness, I say a big thank you.
Never underestimate the relevance and value of what you do and please keep on doing it.
I am conscious that while you may have come with friends you are mostly among strangers this afternoon so I hope you will take this opportunity to share your experiences with others and to make some new contacts and friendships.
I thank some of the people who have helped to make this afternoon enjoyable - the wonderful musicians from Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, our friends from Civil Defence and the staff here at Áras an Uachtaráin.
Is iontach an obair ata ar siul agaibh tríd an tír agus timpeall an domhain. Gurb fada buan sibh agus go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.