This article is from page 35 of the 2007-07-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 35 JPG
A SHANNON youth club for people with special needs is recruiting vol- unteers to help with its fun activities when it resumes in September.
The S Club gives children over 12 the chance to break from routine with everything from bowling to karaoke to cinema to art classes, as well as giving parents some respite.
The club meets every Wednesday from 6.30 to 8pm during the school year but because its membership 1s limited by volunteer numbers, any-
one who can give a little time to the project is welcome.
Leader Aoife Wright said that help- ing with S Club is both rewarding and great fun.
“It is really enjoyable for volun- teers. The young people we work with get very excited and have a brilliant time. They’re so loving and caring and entertaining aswell so it’s a good opportunity for everyone. People might think that it takes a lot of time too but it doesn’t – you might only do a night every three weeks.”
She added that no experience is
necessary although it always helps.
“I started when I was doing social work in college and it’s definitely good if you have worked with people with special needs and some volun- teers are doing related courses. But people should know that it’s not es- sential because a lot of our volunteers are mothers with a bit of time free in the evenings. The only specification is that you need clearance from the Grier a
S Club has been running for four years, most recently in the Respond Centre, since the need was identi-
fied for a social outlet in Shannon for young people with special needs.
“Local councillor Tony Mulcahy was very involved in setting it up and his own daughter is a very enthusias- tic member,’ said Aoife, “There was just five of us at the start but it’s 1m- portant to have something like this. We have a lot of interest from peo- ple with younger kids so hopefully it will keep going.”
Anyone interested in volunteer- ing their time to the S Club youth eroup can contact Aoife Wright on 086 1698987.