Happy National Volunteering Week!
It’s that time of the year again where we celebrate the heart and soul of our communities – volunteers! This year’s theme, “Uniquely Us,” reminds us that each volunteer brings something special to the table, making our efforts truly impactful and diverse.
Keep reading below for inspiring stories from volunteers right here in County Roscommon, showcasing the incredible difference they make.
Ammar Al Abed
Introducing Ammar Al Abed, a 20 year old from Syria who has been using his skills to volunteer since he arrived in Ballaghaderreen, Roscommon. Ammar told us about why he likes to give back to his community. We recently sat down with him to find out more…
I have been living in Ballaghaderreen for one and a half years. I have volunteered in the Emergency Reception and Orientation Centre as a translator for the residents to help them understand how things work in Ireland and I also translate information about their hospital appointments so they know what to do.
I also volunteered to organise an Iftar dinner for Ramadan. We planned this amazing night for people in the community to explain our culture and why we fast during Ramadan. My friend Mariam and I made a small presentation to about 80 people to explain our culture and why Muslims fast. It was a lovely experience.
Volunteering is a good way to meet new people. I like to make new relations between me and people from different countries. Also, I think it’s important for young people like me to volunteer because it increases your opportunities. If you are looking to have a better future, volunteering can help because it creates opportunities to meet people, to learn, to improve yourself, to learn to communicate and to engage with the community. Sometimes I find it hard to understand the accents of people from different countries, and not everyone has good English. So, it can be hard to understand everybody, so you have to listen carefully, explain more details and have patience.
One of the nicest experience was to volunteer with my friends that live at the EROC. I know them very well and we are close to each other. When you work with your close friends, it is easier to get things done and to set everything up because we could rely on each other. So, I found this really good.
Serhii Shumyhora
Serhii volunteers regularly alongside his wife, Olena, and daughter, Yuliia. Originally from Ukraine and now living in Castlerea, Roscommon, Serhii tells us about his unique experience of participating in family volunteer. Thank you Serhii!
Tell us about some of the volunteering you have done.
At the moment, my volunteer activity consists of helping out at events.
Why do you keep coming back to volunteering?
I want to feel like part of a team that tries to ensure that guests of events enjoy the experience.
Why do you enjoy volunteering alongside your family members?
I enjoy volunteering with my family because family is the most important thing in our lives, we love spending time together, and together we can contribute more to an organisation than we can alone.
Can you share a memorable experience that you and your family shared together while volunteering?
I remember how we participated in a children’s Halloween Fun Walk. We helped with entertaining games and treated the children to candy. It was nice to see children’s joy.
What advice would you give to other families who are considering volunteering together?
By joining the organisation, you will get a lot of positive emotions from communicating with like-minded people, and also help make people’s lives a little better and easier. Remember: the earth is round; today you help someone, tomorrow they will help you.
Iryna Skakun
Iryna Skakun does incredible shows which involve hula hooping, dancing and acrobatics. Iryna has been volunteering her talents as a performer since she arrived in County Roscommon. This year’s theme for National Volunteering Week celebrates unique volunteers. We were delighted to chat with Iryna about her special talents and how she uses them for the benefit of the community.
How long have you been performing for?
I started training and performing in a circus studio in Ukraine when I was 10 years old. I learned the calling of my life when I was a child.
What has been your favorite event you performed at?
I have enjoyed every event which I performed at in Ireland. The Halloween Fun Walk, the Christmas Festival, St. Patrick’s Day, the Easter Parade, and World Circus Day were all interesting for me.
What do you love about performing?
I love people. I like to make people happy and lift their spirits. And that makes me happy and it gives me energy and joy.
If you could perform on stage anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I don’t care about the country or the famous place where I can perform. I care about the people who I can give positive emotion and surprise them with my performance.
Why do you like to volunteer?
Since volunteering, I have learned more about the country of Ireland. And I have met interesting people in your country. And now I have a chance to do what I love to do, to help people feel joy.
I want to thank very much the leadership of the Volunteer Centre. Shannette, Clodagh, Valerie, who helped me and other volunteers from different countries and made us feel needed in Ireland.
Anton Nikolenko
“I feel that I can make people happy,” says Anton Nikolenko, an aspiring photographer who has lived in County Roscommon for five months. Anton has been volunteering his skills as a photographer to capture community events. In this conversation, we asked Anton a bit about his thoughts on volunteering.
Make sure you check out Anton’s work on Instagram at @anton.nikolenko.95
I like photography because I can do it well. I feel that I can make people happy. Coming to me for a photo shoot is like going to a psychologist. I held many different jobs in my life, but I can’t do anything else as well as I want except photography.
When I moved to Ireland, I wanted to meet more people from here. Volunteering is the best thing for this. And I feel people remember me because when I’m volunteering as a photographer, I have people’s attention. A lot of people pause and smile at my camera. And when I drop off the photos to clients, it makes an impression on people. I love my profession.
The things I’d like to photograph are actors, dancers, or athletes. I would also like to photograph beautiful people in beautiful places. For now, I take photos mainly at events and photoshoots on the street.
What has been the most rewarding thing for you about volunteering?
Volunteering has been rewarding because I get to meet new people and I can give back to this country. I need as many people as possible to know me. This is important for my career. I have not developed my own style in photography. I know that to be famous, I need to decide on my one style of photography and work only on it. I need to be more famous. It’s important for my career. I feel indebted to Ireland because it’s helped me in my dark time. To do something useful for this country, I feel better after that.
Emmanuel Ohimai
Emmanuel Ohimai, originally from Nigeria, has immersed himself into volunteering at many community events across County Roscommon as part of our Community Volunteers Programme. In celebration of National Volunteering Week, we were delighted to sit down with Emmanuel and chat to him about his thoughts on volunteering so far!
My favourite thing about Ireland and Frenchpark is the warmth, friendliness, and sincere hospitality of the people of Ireland, including the people of Frenchpark, towards us asylum seekers. This is something I like and appreciate. I was motivated to start volunteering when I arrived in Ireland because I wanted to get myself acquainted with the culture of the people of Ireland, and I also want to get myself integrated into the community since I am going to live here. Also, I wanted to know the traditions, the culture of the people, and give back to the community that welcomed me as an asylum seeker. So, I just felt that the best way to do this is for me to volunteer, and I’m really enjoying it.
All people are different, but I would encourage people who have recently arrived in Ireland to get involved. Ireland is a country where they care for people. So, you have to look at the volunteer opportunities available and pick an area of interest because this will bring satisfaction.
At the same time, while you’re also trying to give your best and help the community by giving back to them for what probably they’ve done for you by receiving you, you must also have at the back of your mind that you also use it as an opportunity to develop yourself personally. Still, it’s important to have an open mind. When I was asked first, ‘which area would you want to volunteer in’, I just laughed. I said, ‘You know what? Any area’. I might not be able to everything perfectly, but I’m sure whatever effort that is made will be appreciated.
Another rewarding thing about volunteering is the opportunity to meet diverse people.
You meet co-volunteers. You meet co-asylum seekers like you from different countries. You meet the event organisers. You meet people from that community attending events. You interact. You learn. You develop yourself. You exchange ideas, experiences. All this makes you a better person. All this makes you become more knowledgeable about the community and the people of Ireland. And at the end of the day, it also brings satisfaction. Then there’s teamwork. Working with other volunteers ensures the success of events. And at the end of the day, when the event is completed and is successful, there’s this sense of fulfillment. And you feel happy to be part of an event that was organised, and that it was successful.
Through living here and volunteering, I see that Ireland and Nigeria are similar in some ways. Your people are very, very hospitable. You know, when you visit, they you serve a cup of tea. You know, it’s a sign of welcome. It’s a sign of reception. And the same thing we do in our country. When you come, in our case, we offer you drinks. In my place, we don’t drink tea because we’re in a hot area. So, they will give soft drinks, beer, then food. We entertain with food.
We share other similarities in terms of family and community. Irish people have this value for families and community relationship. I could see that. Like in Frenchpark here, everybody knows each other. Such things are only possible when there is community, you know, relationship. And people here value family. I met a man in an office one day and he said, ‘Ah, my family, they live in Dublin. I’m going to meet my family’. You know, there’s this family thing. Same thing in Nigeria. We hold our family so dear. We hold our community so dear. You know, because that is where you live. And you cannot really function outside your family and your community. Because for one reason or the other, you definitely need their support.
Olena Kovalevych
Olena Kovalevych is a Ukrainian artist now located in Strokestown, Roscommon. Since moving to Ireland, Olena has volunteered extensively. She volunteers in Strokestown Park, has hosted painting workshops and does a fantastic job of keeping our office window colorful and exciting with her beautiful artwork! We were delighted to sit down with Olena to learn more about her unique talent.
When did you first begin painting?
I was maybe five years old and my aunt, who is an architect, encouraged me to draw and paint because it’s important and interesting. When I was ten years old, I entered a special art school where I studied for five years after normal school hours. There, I took five subjects: sculpture, drawing, painting, decorative painting, and the history of arts. We also studied composition.
I began to study art after I entered college. I studied Petrykivka painting which is a famous kind of traditional Ukrainian painting. I finished with very good marks and then I began to study at university. It is from this university in Kharkiv City that I got a teacher of arts degree.
Painting and drawing have been near me during all my life and now it helps me to survive in this situation [leaving Ukraine during the war].
What’s your favorite thing to paint?
I don’t know. It’s inspired by my mood and the weather. Now, I prefer to paint landscapes with watercolor. And then I correct it with the pen. When I paint these landscapes, which are part of Strokestown Garden, I get excited. I have twelve pictures of different parts of Strokestown Park. I would like to make a calendar of this.
I want to capture the winter in Ireland. But when I begin to paint, it’s always bright. In January, I was painting this little lake. My mother asked, ‘why is this picture so bright; is it summer?’ I said, ‘No, it’s Ireland. It’s really bright here in January’.
Who are some of your favorite artists?
I like Van Gogh and other Impressionists. I like this kind of artist because it shows the impression. This is very near to me because in the last few years we have lived only with emotions.
And now I want to show that it is life, and life is every day. And we need to live and to be happy. In our situation, we are always thinking about Ukraine, about war, about my native people, and about how to live. And that is why I think of Renoir, Van Gogh…I like this period of art.
Has volunteering given you new opportunities?
Oh, yes! I have said many times to Ukrainian people in Ireland, that if you are in depression, you must do something, and you must help and integrate in this society. You will see another side of life. And volunteering is also an opportunity to chat, to communicate with Irish people.
I am happy that I am in Ireland, and I am happy to meet a lot of kind, very open people supportive of Ukrainians. Irish people are unique because they have a lot of heart. When we are volunteering in our community, we do something good for this country and for Ukrainians, it’s a first step to live. I think it’s better to be happy, to have good friends, and to be in a good collective. Because when you stay alone, and if you are thinking only about how to find money, and you haven’t this opportunity to see the all sides of our life, because it’s narrow. And when you are volunteering, you know that you are doing something very important.
Some of our [Ukrainian] girls are volunteering in Strokestown Garden and I am volunteering in Strokestown House. I want to say thank you to these [community] organisations, and to Roscommon Volunteer Centre because they opened new horizons for me.
Have you any memorable experience of painting our office window?
It was the first place that I decorated the window. When you asked me, I thought, ‘Oh, this is so nice. I can show this town, these people, who are local people, the part of our Ukrainian culture’. It was an interesting experience for me, because people who were working around me were saying, ‘Oh, it’s so nice, so beautiful’. It was a really positive experience. And I was happy to do this, and I have plans to do more.
Why should community groups work with artists?
It was a nice experience for me also to host workshops with Irish people. I felt positive to share part of our culture. Community groups provide an opportunity for artists to promote their work. For artists, it’s very important to communicate, and community groups, they also can need support.
Oran Graveyard Committee
The Oran Graveyard Committee is a small and dedicated group of 4 people. The four individuals work independently and are not affiliated with other groups in the locality. Occasionally, depending on the nature of the work, additional help is sought and found locally.
The focus of the work is two pronged. The group was initially established by Padraig Whyte and Gerry Corcoran RIP in 2019 with the upkeep and maintenance of Oran graveyard as a central focus. This work is continued literally on a daily basis by Padraig Whyte, assisted by Padraig Fallon. As a result of their efforts, Oran graveyard always looks in immaculate condition with the grass immaculately trimmed and the flowers in full bloom. This aspect of the work takes up a lot of time but is very weather dependent.
The second aspect of the work centres round the fact that Oran was once an important ecclesiastical site and contains the remains of a round tower and a church. To date the names of all graves in the new part of the graveyard have been recorded and a graveyard map was erected last year. This year we are researching the names of all those buried in the old graveyard (in the original enclosure) and the historic gravestones of the site. The two Padraig’s are joined by Mary Mullarkey and James Owens in undertaking this work. It is hoped this will be completed later on this year with the erection of a detailed map and sign.
Oran is a very old cemetery – the first recorded burial we have is June 1720 – over two hundred years ago. The gentleman in question lived to be 102, it is mind boggling to consider that he was born in 1618 just a few short years after the nine year’s war and the Flight of the Earls. Researching and finding out facts like this makes it all worthwhile. Research into the history and archaeology of the Round Tower and graveyard will continue in the hope of getting some definitive answers about Oran. We have some information gathered but we still haven’t unearthed all Oran’s secrets.
A big part of this initiative is to raise awareness as to the importance of Oran in early Christian history. The more that is known about it the more respected it becomes.
While the work is not hard it is time consuming. There is tremendous satisfaction in deciphering an old headstone or finding some new mention of Oran in newspaper archives etc.
