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Good tidings we bring! The December Good News Gazette is here, and it is brimming with seasonal cheer and heartwarming tales from around Ireland... This month's issue features Volunteer Ireland, DSPCA, Age Action Ireland Louth Volunteer Centre, ECO-UNESCO, Hygiene Hub, carepack.ie, Brú Columbanus, Women's Aid Ireland, The Down Syndrome Centre North East and more!

Caroline França (left, in the hat) is the Communications Lead at Doras an organisation in Limerick that supports migrant rights. This is Caroline’s story... “When it comes to Christmas, the migrant experience can be really different for everyone. It depends on why people moved here and what their situation is. I married an Irish person, so I have my own family here, but I miss my family at home in Brazil. My dad is coming this year! A lot of people don’t have the privilege of having their family here. A lot are here on a working visa and they’re not allowed to have family with them because of unfair immigration rules. Some people might have lost family, or left them behind in a war zone, so Christmas could be a really hard time. Then of course, lots of people don't celebrate Christmas but have other special days they don't get to see their family. There's no one experience. Doras is an NGO that was set up as a response to the direct provision system. Now we provide support across a broad range of programmes, victim support, community sponsorship, we assist with employment through our CV hub, helping people navigate the Irish jobs market. We have English classes, computer classes and our own online education platform. We liaise with government bodies on accommodation and welfare. Health and wellbeing is another important area, particularly around mental health, a lot of people we work with have faced traumatic events. And we work on equality and non-discrimination, driving policy change or providing training for workplaces on cultural awareness. We cover a lot! This year Doras has been chosen as one of the charity partners for the Limerick Central Rotary Club Remembrance Tree. People come and write the name of a loved one who has passed away or who will not be home for Christmas on the ribbon. They place it on the tree, and are welcome make a donation. We were really excited to be involved. It’s great to reach a broader public and tell more people about what we do. If you came to our office for a day, you'd be shocked by the amount of people that come through our door. It's so busy. People come to us for support, for information, for advice and it’s all free of charge. The money we raise in December will go to fund our information centre as well as our programmes. Being in an environment where there's people from every part of the world, is amazing, you feel really part of something. I sometimes interpret for Brazilians which gives me a chance to hear about what people are going through firsthand. It’s really nice to be able to help people from my own country, and make that connection for them. Getting time off at Christmas is really important for staff mental health in organisations like ours. You couldn’t do this work if you weren’t passionate about it, if you didn’t care so much. You feel a person’s pain when you’re trying to help them, and doing it every day means you need to be mindful of burnout. We all need to fill up our cup!"

The work of organisations like COPE Galway doesn't stop for Christmas. They will continue to deliver essential services for those experiencing homelessness, domestic abuse or older people living alone, throughout the festive period. Which is why it's even more special that so many people will be taking a break from opening presents and eating Celebrations to go and jump into the Atlantic this Christmas Day, all while raising vital funds for the charity. Read all about this wonderful festive tradition over on Galway Daily...

Gavin is an Integration Support Worker with Bray Community Addiction Team. This Christmas he’s working to build community for the people he supports. This is Gavin’s story...  "This time of year, people can be really struggling. It’s lonely. But when people come in here to BCAT, they almost always leave with a smile on their face, or a full belly, or a bit of comfort and a laugh. Just that piece of connection for people, it’s essential. It’s quite uplifting work. To be there to listen to somebody, for me, that’s so important and it means so much to people. I’ve been with Bray Community Addiction Team for the past eight years. I live in this community so it was something that I was passionate about, coming and giving back.  My role is to support people, who are mainly substance-free, coming back into the community. It’s really interesting work. It’s great to see them explore what’s out there, whether it’s work or education, that they might not have ever imagined they’d be doing. There’s someone doing a psychology degree, another doing care support for mental health and there's a couple gone into apprenticeships. A really big part of it is them rediscovering themselves. We’ve somebody who went through our service, went through residential treatment and now they’re back with us in a peer support role.  During December, we’ll have a Recovery Cafe which is something we’ve started recently. We’ll have a Christmas lunch, hosted by some volunteers, with music, that’s usually a good time. And we’re here either side of Christmas, we have showers, we have washing facilities, and an open access food service as well. We also have about 50 food hampers this year, so we’ll distribute them throughout the community.  This part of our work, connecting in with people who probably have a similar experience, it’s about creating a sort of community, a safe, welcoming place for people to come and just be honest and open with each other. It’s really valuable and it’s an important piece of what we do.  Our service has a profound impact on, not only on the individuals we work with, but their family members, and the wider community as a whole. For one person addressing their issues, that has this ripple effect. I listen to people who tell me, it’s given them their lives back. It’s given them their families back. It means so much to people.  I’ve seen the progress in people and I’ve seen the change in people's lives. I have a lived experience of that as well, so to be able to give back to somebody, and seeing them passing that on, there’s so much power in that.”

Laura is a Toy Librarian with Carrickmacross Toy Library. This Christmas, she’s working to reduce the environmental impact of festive toy shopping. This is Laura’s story...      "When a child comes in for their first visit, they're usually speechless and a little bit frozen to the spot! They can't quite believe what they're seeing, so many toys. Then they warm up and get into playing.   I’ve been working with the Carrickmacross Toy Library for nearly three years. I had actually seen an article about it in the local paper, and thought, “Oh my goodness, wouldn’t that be an amazing place to work.” Then I saw an ad come up for a role though the Community Employment scheme - it was one of those things where it all just falls into place.   My role is a lovely mix of working with children, keeping in touch with the members and being busy with practical, hands-on things as well. We do a monthly craft club and storytelling sessions, so I've done a couple of those as well.   This Christmas, we're doing a pop-up toy sale throughout December. We’re selling brand new or good quality second-hand toys that were kindly donated. We’re also selling membership vouchers from €12 for three months. It’s a good way to bring a little money into the toy library but also to raise awareness about passing toys on. Not everything has to be bought brand new, you can get lovely things secondhand as well.      We notice ahead of Christmas, people often do a clear out, just to make room for new plastic to come in, and it’s a weird mindset to have. Our whole ethos is to encourage the sharing and borrowing of toys, that it becomes the norm.   It will take a while to get to that level but there are little toy libraries popping up. Our founder, Jill's, dream is to have a toy library in every town, in Ireland. It’s much better than for sustainability, for the environment and for finances as well.   Not only are we a place for children to access toys, it's a space for parents too. To come in, to have a chat. It could be the first time in the day that you've spoken to another adult. Or it's just been one of those days, the children can can come in, play with the toys and the parents can just relax.   It’s a really nice feeling to be part of the community, while also doing something that is making a difference, from an environmental perspective, but also for the families as well   On busy days, you have so many children coming in, they might not have met before, but they're playing with the toys together, creating their own game, using their imagination. It's really lovely to see that exploration of the toys, the language development, that interaction, it's a lot of kind of really positive things happening at once.”

When it comes to celebrating Christmas Heroes, there's no denying Mr Claus is up there with the best of them. But this year, he's being joined by staff and students at University College Cork, the team at Cork Migrant Centre in Nano Nagle Place, and the wonderful women at Saoirse Ethnic Hands On Deck to bring a little extra festive magic to children living in Direct Provision in Cork. As part of the Your Child is My Child campaign, they'll be hosting Christmas parties in centres around Cork to make sure every child gets a visit from Santa, wherever they live. Read more about this special festive project over on Cork Beo https://lnkd.in/eU6zQW9J

Meet Meg, one of our wonderful #WeAct #ChristmasHeroes. Meg was originally a Christmas foster with Fiona Killeen and her mum, but ended up being such a special dog, she never left. Now, Fiona works as the Community Fundraising and Events Manager at DSPCA and Meg joins her for school visits and community events. Read all about Meg and Fiona's gorgeous story in the Irish Times... https://lnkd.in/ev8yW5eC Photo by Aislinn Lynch

Feilim is a volunteer rider and chairperson with Blood Bikes East. This Christmas morning, as most of us will be coming downstairs to see what Santa has brought, he’ll already be out on the motorbike, transporting blood samples, breastmilk and essential medical equipment to hospitals around Dublin. This is Feilim’s #ChristmasHeroes story...   “I’ll kick off around 7am on Christmas Day. The hospitals don’t stop for Christmas, the labs don’t stop, we don’t stop. It’s no different for me to work on Christmas. Some friends think I’m mad but everybody has to give a little bit back. It’s worth it. There was one day, I had pulled in on the bike, a woman came over and asked if she could hug me. I was scarlet, but she said, “you saved my life”. It probably wasn’t me, but it was one of the Blood Bikes. We’re all volunteers, the controllers, the drivers. Everybody thinks we work for the HSE, even people in the medical profession, we are an emergency service but nobody gets paid. We just want to help. During Covid, we quadrupled our workload. During the week, we work from 7 in the evening to 6 in the morning, transporting blood samples and medical equipment from hospitals, then weekends, it's 24/7. We also collect breastmilk from all around the country with the other Blood Bike groups, and we bring that up to Enniskillen, where it gets pasturised and then it comes back down.  We’ve also got families we work with, kids with leukemia or other serious illnesses. For example, there’s a young child in Wicklow, his parents are trained to take his bloods and we collect them. Before, they would have to drive to Dublin for an appointment, it could be a seven-hour round trip, and for some families, that could be two or three times a week. So we put this in place and it gives them more time with their family. We’re trained for transporting pharmaceutical goods, there’s a complete paper trail, and a lot of logistics. Everything is recorded. Over Christmas the first shift will start at 10pm on Christmas Eve and we’ll go straight through until New Year’s.   You never really get a quiet day but you see beautiful things. I remember once, some breast milk came from Donegal. I picked it up around the border, the mother was very sick in Letterkenny and her child was down in Temple Street. I arrived at about 3.30am and the nurse asked if I’d like to come in to see the baby. She was only a little bit bigger than a can of Coke, I couldn't get over it. She was amazing. Blood Bikes are like a big family. There’s all ages, all occupations. I was a lecturer for FAS for 23 years. No matter what role you have, everybody is equal.   A Guard joined us as a volunteer, and he was in a petrol station getting a coffee, and a woman came over and said, ‘I’ll pay for that man’s coffee and for his fuel.’ He was gobsmacked. But it’s happened a few times. It’s that hidden goodwill that people don’t see, that’s what it’s all about.”

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If you’re falling short on festive spirit this year, this month's Good News Gazette might be just what you need... Our latest issue features Blood Bikes East Children's Books Ireland The Salvation Army Republic of Ireland Rehab Group Irish Hospice Foundation Family Carers Ireland Self Help Africa Dublin Rape Crisis Centre ChildVision, and more. https://lnkd.in/eng_bgVQ