Noted by Athlone-Moate Municipal District Deputy Mayor, Cllr Aengus O’Rourke, as the most “impactful, important and successful” volunteer organisation in Athlone and the Midlands region, the local branch of the Samaritans was afforded an address of recognition to mark 30 years of service since its founding on February 1, 1992.
Within the surrounds of the council chamber, local elected representatives and volunteers from the Athlone and Midland Samaritans branch gathered for the civic reception on Thursday evening last.
Detailing the clear importance of the service provided by the Athlone and Midland Samaritans, led by Director, Marie Moran, Cllr O’Rourke, stated that the local branch provides a non-judgmental 24/7 listening service to anyone who is despairing, suicidal, experiencing loneliness or simply needs to talk about their troubles in complete confidence.
“In my view, there is no better way of marking a return to normal functioning than to host here this evening a civic reception for one of the most impactful, important and successful voluntary organisations in Athlone for the past 30 years.
“For those who are unaware, the Athlone and Midland Samaritans branch addresses the needs of those living in counties Westmeath, Offaly, Longford and Roscommon.
“Incredibly, there are 95 volunteers in the branch in Athlone and the service responds to an average of 23,000 calls every year which equates to approximately 64 calls a day, almost a call every 25 minutes on average.
“There is also an outreach team which give talks to local schools and organisations in the community, raising awareness of the work and services of the Samaritans. Individuals can also call personally to the Samaritan Centre in Athlone and meet with someone face to face if they feel the need to do so.
“What I ask myself when I think about these amazing, mind-blowing statistics over the past 30 years is ‘how many people today have peace of mind thanks to the quiet, modest but effective work of the volunteers. How many people are able to think straight once again?’
“I suppose these are the questions for which we will never know answers but no doubt a vast number of individuals are alive today – in our lives perhaps and in our communities - thanks to the amazing work of the Athlone and Midlands Samaritans, working away every day beside us here in Court Devenish.
“The branch is an entirely voluntary, unpaid organisation. Just think about that for a moment no state support, and nobody is paid a cent – it is unrivalled in that context.
“It costs approximately €45,000 per annum to keep the branch in operation. Expenses include maintenance of the branch centre, telephone costs, insurance, heat and light and volunteer training. The branch is dependent on fundraising and donations and it is through the generosity of the community that it has been able to maintain its service down through the years.
“Given your reliance on the generosity of the public, I hope this civic reception serves to shine a light on your work and makes people very aware, and they should be, of the importance of the role that you have now established in this town and the wider Midlands region.
“I want to acknowledge this evening the volunteers who give their time in such a selfless way. They do so in a quiet and modest way, there is no credit or attention sought for the work they do – they do it because they are kind people, they care for others and they are generous through and through,” Cllr O’Rourke asserted.
The District Deputy Mayor stated that it was a personal honour to nominate the Athlone and Midland Samaritans for this wholly deserved civic reception.
“It was a great honour for me to propose the Athlone and Midland Samaritans for this civic honour to mark this important anniversary. I felt it was very important that we recognise and pay tribute to this amazing service to the people of the four counties of the Midlands and in particular to recognise the thousands of hours of commitment provided by many volunteers over all the years.
“I know it’s never advisable to name or extract or single out any one person from the group of volunteers so I do not intend to do so, however, but I must single out 13 extraordinary people who are volunteering for 30 years that this service has been active, a wonderful example of the commitment of those involved. Working in a voluntary capacity, week in week out for 30 years, nothing short of amazing.
“To all of you that run and volunteer in the Athlone and Midland Samaritans, past and present, congratulations on this wonderful anniversary. Thank you sincerely on behalf of the people of this town and beyond, for your service and dedication through all of the past 30 years and I wish you all continued success in the years ahead,” Cllr O’Rourke concluded.
