2022
Serving Others is Fun
February 2022

Serving Others Is Fun

By Elder Jack Connolly

As a service missionary, I take part in lots of volunteering each week in my community.

I serve with the SAOL Hub, at the Ballyfermot Civic Centre, Dublin, doing lots of different service activities with them which I enjoy very much. SAOL is an old Irish word as listed below.

saol m (genitive singular saoil, nominative plural saolta)

  1. life, lifetime; time; world
    an saol mór ― the whole world; all people, everyone

  2. period of existence

  3. state of existence

  4. conditions of life of a period

  5. way or sphere of life

  6. the world of enjoyment

  7. the world of human affairs

  8. all creation

  9. all people

The SAOL Project I go to is part of the Children and Young People Services in Dublin.

I have been writing a script and doing radio work for a local community radio station ‘TOGETHER FM’ in Ballyfermot, they focus on local news, and in giving people a voice, who would not normally use this platform. I made a video for the Stewarts Care Human Rights Committee about respect. I have learned how to edit and to use sound equipment. This is a fun service activity.

Every Thursday morning, I go to the National Council for the Blind of Ireland charity shop. I work independently in the NCBI shop, steaming and hanging clothes on hangers, and then putting them on the proper railings as well as tidying the toys and bric-a-brac.

On a Friday morning, I volunteer at the cherry orchard community garden. The garden grows and sells vegetables, to benefit the local community. I do weeding, planting, harvesting, watering, sweeping, raking, plucking tomatoes from the tomato plants, and anything else they need me to do.

I also help to take care of the garden outside the civic centre.

A few months ago, a campaign was launched with volunteering Ireland to ask people to write letters to residents of nursing homes during the pandemic, as they had no visitors and people were feeling isolated. I registered with volunteering Ireland and wrote a letter to nursing home residents in Mount Sackville.

I love volunteering and serving in my community, by doing these things, it makes me happy to know that I am helping others, while also developing my skills to become more confident in my own independence.

Every other Sunday, My family and I make hot meals for the homeless. We pack them up in the afternoon as a family and then go into Dublin city centre at night to give them out.

I have learned that serving others is fun, is often hard work and helps us learn to serve as the Saviour did.