You can bet on this volunteer
“I have loved every minute of it. My husband was a very soft and kind man and he used to say, ‘Bet, this is what makes it all worthwhile’ to see the joy.’ It is a lot of work, it has been challenging but it has been so worthwhile,’’ says Betty, now aged 80, from Howth, Co Dublin.
This month Betty was “highly honoured’’ to win the 2012 Volunteer Ireland Award in the Heath and Disability category, acknowledging her hard work over the years.
So what makes a good volunteer? “Dedication,” she says immediately. “It is the one word we use all the time. We get people who say they will come when we are holding our Gold Heart collecting days, promising to help.
“But then they don’t turn up. So somebody else is left standing there for four hours instead of two, unable to go to the loo or even get a cup of tea.
“A volunteer has to be dedicated and they have to do it for the love of the cause. I believe it is giving a little back.’’
Over the years, Betty and her team of helpers have organised special lunches, balls and receptions to raise money for Variety to purchase their special Sunshine buses for the children. At a cost of €35,000 each, that is a lot of fundraising.
“I must be the best beggar in Ireland,’’ she says, laughing. “When people see me coming they must say: ‘Oh no, here she is again.’ But I don’t mind asking and the older I get the less inhibitions I have. They can say; ‘No’ and I don’t take it personally. But people are so wonderful. I still can’t believe I had the cheek to ask all the people. If you think about it you wouldn’t do it. But we do have fun and the children are the winners in the end.’’
A few years ago, after seeing a “Liberty Swing’’ in Australia, which enables wheelchair-bound children to swing, Betty and her husband Kevin were determined to raise enough money to import them to Ireland.
“We had noticed that when a child in a wheelchair came to a playground, they were the ones that needed it most to be able to have fun, yet they were still sitting on the sidelines watching others play. It nearly broke my husband’s heart.
“So when we saw the Liberty swing we had never seen anything like that at all. To see the joy on the children’s faces and them being able to move, it is very special,’’ she says.
The first Liberty Swing arrived in Ireland in 2009 and now there are nine others across the country.
Betty’s “life mission’’ is to have a swing in every county in Ireland.
“I am working with the county councils to get more in. This is my main ambition. They cost between €15-€17,000, as the installation has to be so accurate,” she says.
Sadly, Kevin, died last year just before their 50th wedding anniversary. Betty knows he would be so proud that she is still volunteering and of her award. Now her three children and seven grandchildren all help out too.
“They are very proud of me and I am so delighted. But I honestly thought no one would ever notice the work we were doing. It has bought us a lot of joy,’’ she says.
