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Lily Kavanagh - Aldi Community Games Golden Jubilee Volunteer 2017

19/3/2017

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PictureLily having a chat with Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh at Shamrock Lodge Hotel on Saturday 18th March
Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh welcomes 27 Golden Volunteers from Aldi Community Games to Athlone on Saturday 18th March
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As part of Aldi Community Games’ Jubilee celebrations (1967 to 2017), each county was asked to select a nominee for the Golden Jubilee Volunteer Award, someone who has given outstanding service to Community Games since its foundation. The public were directed to the independent.ie website to cast their vote for the overall Golden Jubilee Volunteer Award.
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90 year-old Lily Kavanagh received the Wicklow nomination after over 45 years of hands-on dedication. She was one of a small group of people who founded Community Games in Wicklow in 1972. With no money and much fundraising to be done, Lily and her friends staged the first Wicklow County Community Games athletic finals in Bray in the summer of 1973. She attends Community Games area finals every year and opens the county athletics finals in Shillelagh where she delivers her President’s address. She then judges the parade and stays for the rest of the day to present medals.

Lifelong Enniskerry resident Lily Kavanagh had planned to retire from her involvement with Community Games at the age of 60. That was over 30 years ago and on Saturday 18th March 2017 a still involved Lily was crowned Aldi Community Games Golden Jubilee Volunteer in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel, Athlone. 

Mícheál Ó’Muircheartaigh commented in his address on Lily’s determination to walk up the ramp to take her place with all the other nominees, even though she had to use the aid of a walker.  Lily was just one of 27 worthy and deserving nominees who all were rewarded for their service to Aldi Community Games on Saturday and her story is one that Aldi Community Games is all too familiar with – dedication, devotion, selflessness and never giving up! 

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“I have so many happy memories volunteering at Community Games over the years," she said. "When we first started many families were very poor and couldn't afford to get involved in the few facilities. It was a huge team effort to change this and I know it has made a big difference to so many people."

Each nominee received €100 euros worth of Aldi vouchers and a personalised gold medallion. Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh and Arlene Regan of the Irish Independent also presented a delighted Lily Kavanagh with a €1,500 Sunway travel voucher.
Volunteers are the foundation of Aldi Community Games. Gerard Davenport, President of Aldi Community Games, thanked all the nominees and said:
"It is the dedication and hard work of volunteers, which has brought Aldi Community Games to this 50-year milestone. The role of the volunteer is paramount to the success of the organisation. We are deeply indebted to those people who have kept the Games alive by giving their time generously.

With over 20,000 volunteers supporting us in the organisation of events each year, I acknowledge our volunteers as the foundation of Community Games and I extend an invitation to new members to come and join as Adult or Youth volunteers.  I would also like to thank Aldi our title sponsors, the Irish Independent, Sunway Travel, the HSE and Kia Motors for their generous support over the last year."
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Commenting on the event, Giles Hurley, Group Managing Director Aldi Ireland said: 
"I would like to congratulate all the volunteers that have been honoured today and express a heartfelt thank you to the other 20,000 volunteers around the country.  These volunteers give so much of themselves to Aldi Community Games and expect so little in return.  It is their dedication and enthusiasm that makes Community Games possible, year after year.

It is a great honour for Aldi to support Community Games, particularly in its Golden Jubilee Year."
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Community Games Provincial secretary Margaret Culloty is shortlisted for a Silver Surfer Award

18/3/2017

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Margaret Culloty and Gerard Davenport
The Silver Surfer Awards are in their 8th year and our very own Margaret Culloty from Firies in Co. Kerry has been shortlisted!

You'd be forgiven for assuming the beaches of Kerry are where the surfing takes place, in fact the aim of the Silver Surfer Awards is to raise awareness among older people of the benefits of being online and to encourage those who have not gone online to give it a try.


Almost 1 in 5 adults have never used the internet - that’s more than 550,000 people. The majority of these are older people with 53% (280,000) of those aged 60 to 74 never having been online. As of the National Digital Strategy report published in July 2013 (pdf), only 3% of those aged 75 and over had used the internet.
Aldi Community Games introduced an Online Registration System in 2014 and removed all need for completion of handwritten panel forms.  While the system was designed to be user-friendly and functional it still requires some IT skills and well, like everything, a bit of practice and training. 

Margaret embraced the new system with open arms and not only that, she is helping her Area Secretaries use it too!  We had a chat with Margaret today about this "very big deal" (in our opinion ;-)):

“It was a great surprise to be nominated. I started using a computer many years ago to type letters, but gradually began to use it for emails and creating the Kerry athletics programme.  Now, we have a Kerry Community Games website for results, a Facebook page, and the national online system as well.  It makes life so much easier and there’s a sense of achievement when you learn to do something new. I would tell anyone who is hesitant about using a computer to just give it a try – most of it is trial and error but you’ll get there in the end and it will be worth it.”
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We are so proud of Margaret and fingers crossed for her at the finals on 28th March when the winners are announced. 

For more information on this initiative see Age Action's page. 



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Fake alcohol warning from HSE

16/3/2017

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The HSE have issued the following advice to the public:
  • Only buy alcohol from a recognised shop, off-license or licensed premises.
  • If you bought alcohol from an unrecognised seller, do not drink it. Hand the bottle into your local Garda station to help in the investigation of this incident.
  • If you recently drank alcohol from a bottle bought on the street and are concerned about symptoms, seek urgent medical advice.
Methanol is highly toxic. Consumption of methanol can cause kidney failure, blindness and death.
Methanol is contained in solvents, anti-freeze and windscreen wash. It is also called methyl alcohol, carbinol, wood alcohol or wood spirit.
People who drink methanol may initially have symptoms of loss of balance, staggering, slurred speech and eye tremor.
There may be a gap of 12 -24 hours before symptoms of methanol poisoning develop. These can include headache, confusion, dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and rapid breathing. In severe cases, convulsions and coma can develop.
Download the full document here
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Golden Volunteer Awards with special guest Mícheál O'Muircheartaigh

8/3/2017

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Voting has been phenomenal so far in our mission to celebrate our "Golden Volunteers".  There are just 5 days left to vote so make sure you click here: http://www.independent.ie/goldenvolunteer/ and vote for your County volunteer! 

The lovely Mícheál Ó'Muircheartaigh will be on hand on the day of the Awards to meet and the nominees and to present the overall winner with their prize. 

One of our favourite viral videos of last year was the famous ham sandwich video from Mícheál...we hope you like it ;-) 
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Aldi Community Games is an all Ireland independent voluntary organisation and National Governing Body providing opportunities for children and young people to grow and develop in a positive and healthy way while experiencing a wide range of sporting and cultural activities. The National Festival is usually held over 2 weekends each year where on each weekend between 3 and 4,000 children compete for their area, town, county and province. 
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