Derry Credit Union - Volunteering Award winner

Emer Rabbett: Winner

Emer is a dedicated and devoted volunteer in her local community and school who has demonstrated excellent leadership skills as a volunteer by encouraging and leading others. Her nominator, Ms Connolly of St Mary’s College, says this caring, thoughtful and generous person is a role model to young girls. To demonstrate this, Ms Connolly focused on some of Emer’s volunteering projects.

Emer and her team worked with the parents of Altnagelvin – Ward 6 & 16 to create a Care Box for teenagers who are admitted to the wards unexpectedly.

The care box a care box contains products such as show gel, wipes, toothpaste and sanitary products. Emer and her team fundraise locally and contact local business for donations to the care boxes and meet regularly to assemble the boxes and replenish their supply at the hospital.

Emer also works hard to help eradicate period poverty, applying to local community groups for free products for pupils and creating boxes for form classes so teachers can distribute the sanitary products to pupils.

Emer’s volunteering veers into sport. She volunteers at the Manchester United Foundation where she leads of group of others in supporting first-year pupils by educating them about the importance of positive mental health through exercise and games. She herself is a successful Gaelic player who volunteers at Cul camp every summer, where she volunteers 9 to 2 every day in the summer to encourage children ages 6-13 to get active and make friends.

In school, Emer meets with a student from junior school to expand their reading skills.

To prepare her for this role, she attended a 5-day course at the NWRC to learn how to help children who are struggling with their reading. She learned how to give confidence to struggling readers and can use this skill in the future. She has recently volunteered to expand her skills on assisted reading by giving up her form time to assist year 8's with their reading.

Rowhyn Gallagher – Runner-up

Rowhyn Gallagher was nominated by Foyle College teacher Miss Sloane for his volunteering work both inside and outside of school.

Rowhyn’s passion for health and mental wellbeing are reflected in his volunteering. He worked with Hertfordshire Boat Rescue from 2017 to 2019. At his previous school, he helped deliver CPR training with the Heartstart programme.

His commitment to emergency first aid is such that he purchased his own training defibrillator and now uses it to assist in the delivery of training and health awareness here in Derry.

In 2021, he was a member of the Health Department’s Ministry of Youth and in 2022 he began volunteering with Foyle Prevention Team where he continues to volunteer for two half-nights during term time and two to three full nights each week during the holidays.

Rowhyn is no less active in volunteering in school. He delivers Foyle Study Skills and is a peer mentor where he assists students who need support. He completed his First Aid at Work course and has introduced his fellow pupils to Circle of Support, resulting in 10 volunteers each week who help with swimming for children with Autism.

It is no surprise to learn that Rowhyn is also a member of the school’s Health Committee where he developed hi own mental health first aid training for sixth form students which benefited their UCAS forms as well as their family’s health and wellbeing. He now has plans to deliver the same training to staff before the end of the year.

Rowhyn does all of this while studying for his A Levels at Foyle College in preparation for studying medicine.