Volunteering has given me confidence, says Chris
Christine Carty St John’s Volunteer
“Volunteering has given me confidence,” says Christine Carty.
For more than 6 years, Christine Carty has dedicated a few hours of her time every Saturday in St John’s Hospital.
Going around the various different wards, Christine simply talks to the patients, staying a while with each person and chatting or lending a friendly ear.
For some people on the ward, Christine is the only person that calls in and often her visit is anticipated each week by the patients.
“I love being around people and I just see them all as friends. It is good fun and there is excitement for the patients from week to week chatting to them and telling them news. Some people are just waiting there and they have no one visiting them. They often tell me stories about their past,” explains Christine.
Christine is also involved with the Sligo University Hospital where she often helps in the children wards and has also volunteered with the Special Olympics for the past 7 years.
Helping others has also helped Christine personally, she believes that it has given her more confidence.
“There are times when you go in to and there may be two or three all talking to you and it is like giving a speech.
“There are people there that then begin to interact and talk to one another. It is a positive thing.” So would she recommend volunteering to others? “It is very important for the next generation to do it. If someone has a person close to them being looked after in the hospital or St John’s I think it would be nice for them to give back.
“There are lots of old people who don’t see their grandchildren, they might send them the odd card and they then hang them up all over the place. So I would definitely encourage more people to volunteer.”