Building community together: Volunteer expo in Longford Shopping Centre

National Volunteering Week (May 19– 25) takes place during the third week of May every year. This year’s National Volunteering Week theme is ‘Building Community Together’. This theme gives us a chance to feature the social opportunity that volunteering offers. Outside of home and work, volunteering is the ‘third space’ for many people where they connect, empathise, laugh and nurture.

Gerry Smyth, Coordinator of Longford Volunteer Centre commented, “We all know the impact of volunteering in our communities as volunteers provide care, comfort and joy for people. However, for so many volunteers, the service to others is merely an added bonus! Volunteering is a way of socialising, making friends, and learning about others and it keeps people connected to their communities and also gives them an outlet for the deep care they have for others and making positive impacts on their local environs. National Volunteering Week is the perfect opportunity to celebrate all things volunteering - whether you are a volunteer, are thinking about volunteering or simply want to appreciate the incredible influence that volunteers have on all our lives.”

Here are some ideas for organisations and volunteers alike:

For organisations:

Keep an eye out for our National Volunteering Week resources to celebrate and promote National Volunteering Week in your community or organisation.
Record a quick video thanking volunteers and sharing why they’re important to you or your organisation. Share it via email and on social media. Don’t forget to use #NVWIreland and tag Longford Volunteer Centre so we can share it!
Host an event for your volunteers – it could be a coffee morning or maybe a fun activity like a quiz or scavenger hunt.
Give your volunteers a certificate of appreciation. You can email it to volunteers and share it on your social media.

Let volunteers know the impact they have – were you able to provide more services because of your volunteers? What difference do they make to your organisation and the community?
Get involved on social media – tell us about your volunteers using #NVWIreland and #BuildingCommunityTogether. Don’t forget to tag us.
Engage with your local Volunteer Centre here in Longford – National Volunteering Week is a great time to take stock of your volunteer programme – do you need to recruit more volunteers? Do you need to create more flexible volunteer roles? Longford Volunteer Centre can help guide you.

For volunteers:
Keep an eye out for our National Volunteering Week 2025 resources to celebrate and promote National Volunteering Week in your community or organisation.
If you already volunteer, why not encourage a friend to join you? Be an ambassador for the organisation you volunteer with!
If you’re thinking about volunteering but aren’t sure what to do, National Volunteering Week is the perfect time to take the plunge. Contact Longford Volunteer Centre or check out what’s on offer on I-VOL.
Get involved on social media – tell us about why you volunteer using #NVWIreland and #BuildingCommunityTogether. Don’t forget to tag us.
National Volunteering Week runs from May 19-25 and the volunteer centre team will be out and about in the town and county dropping by to visit some of our amazing volunteers and organisations to showcase some of their work. Also, we will be hosting a volunteer expo in Longford Shopping Centre on Thurs May 22 between 11am-3pm.

For further information contact 043 3345555 or info@volunteerlongford.ie where our friendly staff will gladly answer any queries you might have.