Our Coordinator of Volunteer Services Barbara Kilbride shares her story about supporting and managing the volunteers of St Francis Hospice.
A special thank you to our volunteers Jean Wade (Volunteer Florist), Phyllis Murphy (Volunteer Receptionist) and Mary O’Brien, Joke Jansman (Hospice Day Care Volunteer Artists).
This video was in collaboration with Volunteer Ireland for National Volunteering Week 2018.
Please click on the link below to view.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO-GP2tnZp0&feature=youtu.be
A few words from our volunteers:
I started volunteering in St. Francis Hospice in Raheny in 2000, originally working in the coffee shop and since 2012 I have been performing ad hoc duties, for example, singing at Mass, helping in the volunteer Co-Coordinator's office and helping with the Tree of Light ceremony. I also host a coffee morning in my house each September and collect money at SuperValu in Killester for the annual Sunflower Day.
While at first I thought that I would be giving something to the hospice with my time, I actually found that I received more than I gave. The humbling feeling that I experience every time I go to the hospice has made me prioritise my own life and has allowed me to reflect on my personal path through life.
I can honestly say that I have never had such a rewarding experience as I have done over the past 18 years of my involvement with the hospice and only hope that my small efforts can help in some way with the wonderful work that is happening there.
Beamie Sheahan
My name is Mícheál Kilcrann and I have been an inpatient unit volunteer at St Francis Hospice Blanchardstown for the past 3 years. Before this I was involved in various fundraising initiatives for St Francis Hospice. Prior to this, I coordinated the blue box collections in the Blanchardstown area for a number of years.
I am reminded of the quote by the African American poet and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou “People may not remember exactly what you did or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel”. I think that this is exactly how my volunteering relates to me personally, from a volunteer perspective and from the patients perspective too.
As a volunteer, I hope that I help, even in a small way, to help patients and their families get the most from this stage of their lives. It has been said over and over by many that it is an honour and a privilege to be able to offer my time weekly to share with patients and their families as well as with the staff of St Francis.
It’s a very upbeat place to volunteer despite people’s perception of what the inside of a hospice might be like. I have learnt so much about patience, tolerance and resilience. Every week as I prepare to head home, I am reminded that I receive far more from my time there than I could ever possibly give.
Mícheál Kilcrann
Annual Volunteer Study Day 2018
Well done to our 29 volunteers who attended our volunteer study day on Thursday 17th May!
The topic this year was “The changing contexts of Palliative Care and Ethical Considerations”. The volunteers thoroughly enjoyed the event and learnt so much from the topic and from each other.
A special thank you to SFH Lecturers Barbara Sweeney & Kathleen Quinlan for delivering the workshop and all their hard work. Also thank you to SFH Catering for the lovely lunch & Tina who served everyone.
Investing in Volunteers
Quality Standard in Volunteer Management
The volunteer department is delighted to announce that we will be working very closely with Volunteering Ireland over the coming year to review and assess our volunteer programme. The aim of this assessment is to ensure that we reach all the indicators required to receive the Investing in Volunteers, Quality Standard in Volunteer Management.
Our Volunteers are very valuable to us and they enhance the quality of care we give to our patients and their families, so we are very excited to benchmark our volunteer programme with this assessment and then award. A lot of work has to be done over the next year, and later in the assessment Volunteering Ireland will visit St Francis Hospice Raheny and Blanchardstown to speak with volunteers & staff.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate in contacting Barbara Kilbride or Brenda Lowry in Volunteer Services for more information.
Barbara Kilbride
Coordinator of Volunteer Services
Volunteer Health & Safety Training Workshops
Health & Safety Training Workshops for our 310 volunteers play a very important part in our Volunteer Programme here at St Francis Hospice keeping our volunteers, patients and staff safe, but they are also a requirement within Health & Safety legislation. Your cooperation in attending each workshop when due for your role is very much appreciated.
Dates for Fire Safety Training Workshops 2018 are in each Volunteer Reading File. If your name is listed, please add and take note of a date and time that is suited to you in Raheny or Blanchardstown. Fire Training is not site specific.
Invites for all other training workshops for your role will be posted to you with approximately one month’s notice.
|
Training Workshop |
Requirement |
Role |
|
Fire Safety |
Annually |
All On-Site Roles, not Drivers/Bus Escorts/Chapel/Gardeners |
|
Standard Precautions |
On Commencement |
All except Mite Box Coordinators, CPC Admin,VBSS, Remembrance Service, Library, Education, Chapel |
|
Hand Hygiene Refresher |
Every 2 years |
All except Mite Box Coordinators, CPC Admin,VBSS, Remembrance Service, Library, Education, Chapel |
|
Manual Handling |
On Commencement |
All Roles except Chapel |
|
Manual Handling Refresher |
Every 3 Years |
All roles except Florists, Hand Care, Dog Visits, Musicians, Artists, Life Stories, Receptions, Chapel, CPC Admin, VBSS, Remembrance Service, Library, Education |
A huge welcome goes to our newest volunteers:
Nuala Aylward Hospitality IPU Blanchardstown
Rachel Brady Home Visits
Colette Cole Hospitality IPU Blanchardstown
Clodagh Golden Hospitality IPU Blanchardstown
Evelyn McCarthy Hospitality IPU Blanchardstown
Margaret O'Neill Hospitality IPU Blanchardstown
Séana Ward Hospitality IPU Raheny
Joan Murphy Reception Blanchardstown
Breda Lillis Cash Office Raheny
Pauline Devitt Hospitality IPU Blanchardstown
For SFHD staff looking to volunteer - did you know there are over 3,000 volunteering opportunities currently available on I-VOL, the national database of volunteering, so what are you waiting for? http://volunteering.force.com/OpportunitySearch. Don't forget to check out the Volunteer Marketplace over on LinkedIn for skilled volunteering roles too.
