Erika has joined #TeamCope and is training for the The Echo Women's Mini-Marathon in September. Erika says, “I can’t wait to get involved. I’m going to do the race with my friends and staff from Cope Foundation’s Ballyvolane Community Hub." Learn more about the marathon over on the Cope Foundation website. Photo by Darragh Kane.

Welcome to the August issue of the We Act Good News Gazette.

Many of you will be returning from your holidays and soon we’ll be heading back to school and the office. As we move into the next season we want to highlight all of the brilliant work that’s been done throughout the summer and how you can get involved this Autumn.

We Act has seen staff and volunteers taking action to make our communities and our world a better place. From storytelling to strategy-building, charities and community groups across Ireland are taking steps to make our towns, our counties, and our country inclusive, sustainable, and fun!

Read on and learn more about the incredible work happening and find ways you can take action yourself, both big and small.

One great way to get involved is volunteering your skills, time, and expertise to a cause you’re passionate about – volunteer as a charity board member! In October, Boardmatch is hosting Trustee Speed-Dating – a great opportunity for individuals to meet with charities and not-for-profit organisations who have board vacancies. Learn more and register here.

And if you're looking for events, make sure you check out Culture Night on September 23rd. We know that charity and community work is part of our Irish culture so, this September, organisations throughout the country will be opening their doors and welcoming you as they showcase their work with everything from film screenings to live music!

We hope you enjoy August's Good News Gazette. If you'd like to share our happy digest, invite your friends to subscribe to our newsletter here.

Joanne at the An Grianán ICA Annual Garden Party

Joanne Dunphy Allen is what we like to call a ‘multi-hat wearer’. She’s a business owner, a mother, and a fan of community theatre. She’s also the National Secretary of the Irish Countrywomen’s Association, a trustee of Mountshannon Community Council, she’s a volunteer coordinator with Missionvale Ireland, she helps out with East Clare Text Alert and is a representative with the Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal – all as a volunteer. This is her story...  

"I grew up in a family that was very much about volunteering and giving back to the community, to your neighbours and your friends. It was important to share whatever skills that you have with people. 

I don’t do it for the thank yous, I don’t do it for the gold star, I do it to give back. I’m very privileged to be part of a beautiful community, I’m very privileged to be able to give back. 

It is a balancing act, dividing myself into halves or quarters, but while I’m in the role for the particular charity or organisation, I give it 100% there and then, whether it’s ICA or Missionvale or Mountshannon. 

Litter picking with local school children in Mountshannon Village

The role that I’ve most recently come to was the 29th May 2021 when I was elected as the National Secretary of the Irish Countrywoman’s Association. The role has been varied, I attend meetings and functions around the country, I’m involved in strategy and policies, and I would be the contact for all the secretaries or presidents of 

Federations, which are the county levels of the ICA - I like to be open and available to all people. 
 

The ICA has been around since 1910, and it has had a huge impact on people’s lives. You wouldn’t have running water or possibly even electricity in your houses if it wasn’t for the ICA. In the forties and fifties, they got involved with the likes of ESB, they were the vessel to bring this good news to rural Ireland.  

The Scariff ICA Guild getting ready for the St. Patrick's Day parade

The impact nowadays is very much about friendship and a support network to ourselves and communities. For me, personally, in my Guild, which is Scariff in County Clare, I found myself. I found I had a voice. Before that I was very much ‘Tom’s wife’ or ‘Rachel’s mum’ and found I was losing myself a little bit. I just wanted to be Joanne. 

In the ICA, I found that people were willing to listen, and hear what I had to say, and I was willing to listen and hear what other people had to say. We learn other points of view, skills, crafts, invite speakers in and have lots of fun.

It’s good to learn new skills and be open to doing so, because that’s how you can serve your community and serve your organisation better. 

Joanne at the Missionvale Township in Port Elizabeth, South Africa and with the late Sr Ethel Normoyle, founder of Missionvale Care Centre

With the Community Council in Mountshannon, I’m coming up close to finishing my four-year term as a director. We manage the Community Childcare, a Community Employment Scheme, we had a Covid response team, the Tidy Towns, we maintain a community park and a playground. And we work closely with local community, groups, government bodies and the local county council helping to support and assist our community.  
 

People don’t always realise that you are just a volunteer. Sometimes I feel like I’m a county councillor! Someone might call you if the bins haven’t been emptied or something. 

But we do the best we can to try and sort it. It definitely comes from my upbringing, ‘no’ was never really in our vocabulary at home, my mother always wanted us to participate as much as we could.  

Joanne says her family give her lots of encouragement – now her daughter Rachel is in college, she has more time to give back to her community

Not everyone has the time to be a director of a CE scheme, but even if it’s picking up rubbish, or sweeping outside your house, it’s about giving back to your community in whatever small way you can.

I just love my community, and what I get from it. I learn so much from all the different organisations I get involved in, and I meet such wonderful people.  

I love the wins, I love the losses, I just love the buzz, trying to figure things out, trying to give that hope to somebody, that you can fix an issue or support them. I get a bit passionate at times!”

We Act is a national, collaborative campaign to celebrate the value and impact of the charities and community groups in Ireland. It is supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development. 

Got a story? Email info@WeAct.ie

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