Last year's Kerry Community Award winner reflects on momentous accolade
Cúnamh Iveragh support children and young adults with special intellectual needs in south Kerry. It comprises of parents and friends who combined their resources over a decade ago to provide facilities and support that make life easier for service users.
One of Cúnamh's primary aims is to not only keep facilities in the local area, but to enhance them in new and evolving ways.
Chairperson of Cúnamh Iveragh Adrian Griffin said taking home the prestigious Overall Winner Award at last September's Kerry Community Awards gave everyone associated with the organisation extra incentive to continue their excellent work.
For a small rural group backed by the community, the charity is about the people who encouraged and supported the initiative from the very start. This backing led to buying a house and bringing it up to HIQA standards. It has never looked back since.
'It was great for our organisation as we don't win awards. From the outset of this adventure the community backed us all the way. It just shows you that it's local communities that make charities,' Mr Griffin told The Kerryman.
'We're the only charity down here doing something for people with disabilities. That's what makes the difference. People see where their money goes and that they have a finished project where you have a respite centre and a day centre up and running in south Kerry. This is something they didn't have before,' he added.
Adrian explains that Cúnamh Iveragh is roughly a three hour round trip from most of the county's major towns. This only amplifies the need for the service in south Kerry. He feels it's wrong for a person with a disability to travel for three hours on a bus and expect them to be at their best for a service provider in Tralee or Killarney.
'That's why everything for people with disabilities has to be based in their own local area,' he said.
'Winning this award drove on the committee to pick out what else these families need in south Kerry and the next big issue they face. As a committee, we're focused on what's needed. We think our families in south Kerry deserve the same as families anywhere else,' he added.
'I consider the Kerry Community Awards a fabulous idea. It's very hard to keep committees together and to get volunteers to show up all the time. It [award] gives them great heart and a window for new volunteers to see what they are doing is appreciated,' Mr Griffin added.
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The objective of the Kerry Community Awards is to recognise the work of the community and voluntary sector that seeks to improve the Social, Economic, Cultural and Environmental quality of life in local communities, both urban and rural.
Kerry Community Awards are open to all community and voluntary groups based in the county, regardless of size or location. Groups must assist, support or enrich their community in some way, either socially or economically.
The Kerry Community Awards Committee is made up of representatives from the Kerry Public Participation Network (PPN), Kerry County Council, The Kerryman, Local Development Company (NEWKD), Udarás na Gaeltachta, Credit Union & Southern Marketing Design Media.
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