Praxis Care - Befriending Awards - 04 June 2008

Good evening everyone.

Firstly I want to thank Nevin for his kind invitation this evening.  As you know, this is volunteer’s week and I am delighted to be here with you tonight to celebrate the work of the Praxis Care Befrienders.  

There is a saying that volunteers don’t get paid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless. And, in your case, this is clearly true.

The action taken by the Praxis Befrienders goes right into the heart of your communities.  It offers a lifeline to the most vulnerable and the most isolated. It serves as an example and an inspiration to us all.

When I arrived I was delighted to meet Frances Rea and Margaret Marshall.  Frances has been volunteering as a befriender with Praxis for more than a decade and, over this time, has built and maintained a strong friendship with Margaret – a friendship that has changed and enriched both their lives.

Unfortunately, examples such as this seem to be less and less common. People are leading ever busier lives and finding time to volunteer appears to be getting both harder and rarer.  

I want to stop this decline and to encourage the growth of volunteering.  I want to create the conditions that enable volunteering to flourish. And I want to provide new and better experiences for volunteers.

I am currently taking forward the development of the first ever Volunteering Strategy for Northern Ireland.  It will convey a strong message about the value of volunteering, the benefits it can provide, and how it can help to tackle deprivation, disadvantage and poverty. I am pleased to tell you that I will be consulting on the Strategy this autumn.  

We all want to live in, better, closer, friendlier neighbourhoods. We all need care and support to face the many challenges that life can throw up from time to time like illness, bereavement, loneliness or worry.

These are universal needs and we cannot tackle them alone – we need to work together and to do what we can because, to coin another phrase, while no-one can do everything, everyone can do something.

Volunteering is about much more than just helping out – it brings people together, it creates vibrant and warm communities and, above all, it changes lives.

Shortly I will be presenting a number of awards to some volunteers who have shown outstanding commitment to the people they have befriended.  Some have been volunteering for over 20 years with Praxis Care.  

I would like to offer my gratitude for all for the work you do.  For giving your time and your energy.  And, most importantly, for your kindness and your generosity.