To Serve is Beautiful But only if it is Done with Joy

It's been some time since our last Bulletin and, in that intervening period, I attended a couple of our Regional Members’ Days in different parts of the country. The eagerness I witnessed to return to what we do best, 'visit people in their homes', was palpable. We are all a bit weary of the dreaded word 'Covid',?for sure. Don't get me wrong, it impacted so many people in many different ways and stole something from so many of us. Still, I also feel there is an emotional and physical desire to return to our everyday lives without fear, cautiousness or worry. So to see so many members attend these days filled me with pride and a sense of purpose. You can easily get sucked in that dark place of never seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

We speak a lot about how the Society is there to support people in need and to highlight the issues which cause a lot of their struggles to the government via the work of our social justice team. Which is what we do but, while attending one of the members’ days, another aspect of SVP suddenly struck me. An older volunteer approached me at the end of the day and asked me if I had been the person taking photos all day and if I would be willing to take her photo. Of course, I was only too delighted to do this for her but, as we spoke, I noticed she seemed a bit emotional and upset. She told me she was going to the hospital the following week for major surgery and wanted this photo prior to this happening. I sensed she was really worried about the outcome.?

She told me that her doctor had encouraged her to attend the members' day so she could be with friends and, I suppose in a roundabout way, it was an attempt to distract her from what lay ahead. She was so happy she had come and spoke fondly of the other volunteers she had worked with for over 30 years and the support they had given her since her diagnosis. I felt quite moved and fully present to her fear and worry. I realised then that the Society doesn't just help people in need. It helps our SVP members and volunteers by being friends, a family, and an amazing support network whenever needed. Like other outwardly focused organisations, SVP forms a community of its members within the community it serves.??

It is essential that we keep sight of that unique aspect of what we do also. We don't just offer friendship and support to people in need: we also look out for our Conference members and volunteers. I am sure the other regions who will be running their members' days will see this for themselves. When you see a member you haven't seen in a long time, undoubtedly you will feel the joy, greet them with a smile and want to hear all about how they are doing; I really hope you will experience the pride that I did when in the presence of our fellow Vincentians.?

In 2022, SVP received over 200k calls for help, the highest total to date. We have seen a huge increase in the number of people struggling with their energy bills and in those trying to cope with the impact of the increased cost of living in general. Rising consumer prices and increasing interest rates are expected to persist into 2023, which is likely to further reduce disposable incomes. But as an organisation, we continue to support those struggling when and wherever we can.

In this edition, you will see how our social justice team continues to highlight the plight of those we assist. It also contains many wonderful stories from our volunteers and services, such as the Croí na Gaillimhe Older People's Programme, articles from around the country, our various activities like our Vincent's shops, social housing units, our Young SVP programme, fundraising, and so much more.

I hope you enjoy the read.

Read Here: The SVP Bulletin