Volunteering
Volunteers are needed in all areas of the service. From September 2006, Clare Haven will be recruiting volunteers and holding open nights in Ennis and Shannon.
If you would like to become a VOLUNTEER with Clare Haven, please contact our Volunteer Unit at 065-6842646.
Clare Haven runs volunteer induction training regularly, with the following aims:
- To raise awareness and improve understanding of domestic violence/abuse.
- To provide an overview of the structure and range of services of Clare Haven.
- To heighten awareness of the roles and responsibilities of volunteers working in this area.
The benefits of the training are as follows:
For the Volunteer - Develop knowledge, skills and explore attitudes and beliefs regarding violence/abuse against women in intimate relationships. Learn about the work of Clare Haven and decide where is the most appropriate area for you, as a volunteer, in the organisation.
For Clare Haven – Gives us a chance to get to know and assess volunteers - their skills, potential and suitability for working within the organisation. The training also gives us an opportunity to outline the organisation's aims, guidelines and structures.
Definition of a Volunteer:
A volunteer is anyone who, without compensation or expectation of compensation, beyond reimbursement of expenses incurred in the course of his or her volunteer duties, performs a task at the direction of and on behalf of the organisation.
A volunteer must be officially accepted and enrolled by Clare Haven prior to performance of the task. Unless specifically stated, volunteers shall not be considered as employees of Clare Haven.
PREVIOUS VOLUNTEERING PROJECTS:
The following are some examples of how volunteers have helped Clare Haven carry out its work:
- Two volunteers regularly visited the refuge and gave the women manicures and make-overs.
- Novice friars from the Friary in Ennis have volunteered in the refuge over the years helping out with maintenance work and soccer games with the children.
- Volunteers continue to carry out churchgate collections in every parish over the county.
- Volunteers have helped over the years with all our fundraising events and in particular our own mini-marathon and this year’s Clare 10K.
- Volunteers continue to help out with court accompaniment.
GECAS:
Our back garden is beautifully landscaped, thanks to the trojan work of a group of volunteers from GECAS (General Electric Capital Aviation Services) Shannon. These people kindly took on the challenge of our garden as their 'Global Day of Caring' where the staff of GECAS take on a project each year to help in a hands-on way, a charity group in their community. As our garden was a building site, we were delighted when GECAS contacted us. Their hard work and expert skills, along with the financial support in buying shrubs, trees, plants, trestles, a garden bench, lots of flower tubs and a water feature, has turned the garden into a place of beauty and contentment.
GECAS also incorporated a contemplative garden within the main garden, and it is in this small calm area that they erected a plaque that reads...
" To the women and children of Clare from GECAS 2000 "
Recently GECAS provided financial support to refurbish our drop-in centre and offices in Ennis. Volunteers gave up a weekend of their time to come in to redecorate and transform the building.
Over the past number of years, staff from GECAS voluntarily have donated huge Christmas hampers and meat vouchers to give to the neediest of our clients. This makes a big difference to the kind of Christmas these women and children have.
Our sincere thanks to this company for their hard work.
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