The Irish Red Cross Volunteer Support and Development Working Group are pleased to open nominations for the 2024 Irish Red Cross National Volunteer Awards!
The Irish Red Cross National Volunteer Awards allow us to celebrate the hard work, dedication, and achievements of our volunteers who give their time to support the most vulnerable in communities across Ireland.
The Irish Red Cross National Volunteer Awards are presented to Irish Red Cross volunteers only, but nominations of these volunteers for an award can be made by anyone, using the links below. When completing the nomination form you will be asked for details of the nominee/branch and their volunteering over the last 12 months (with the exception of the Lifetime Achievement Award and Newcomer of the Year Award). Please provide as much detail as you can!
Closing date for nominations: Sunday 29th September.
This year’s award ceremony will take place in Croke Park on Saturday 23rd November from 13.00 – 16.00 (registration from 12.00pm).
As a further celebration of volunteerism within the National Society, this year’s award ceremony has an open invitation to all Irish Red Cross members who wish to join on the day. Please note, places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Tea and coffee will be served on arrival, and light refreshments will be served after the ceremony.
If you wish to attend, register your interest by emailing nva@redcross.ie.
We look forward to seeing you for this celebration of our volunteers!
Irish Red Cross Volunteer of the Year
The Irish Red Cross Volunteer of the Year Award is awarded to a volunteer within the Irish Red Cross who has shown dedication to their volunteer role and has had a strong, positive impact on their community. This award will be presented to someone who has embodied the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and has supported the Irish Red Cross Strategy. This person will have demonstrated creativity, initiative, or passion in their role as a volunteer over the last 12 months.
Irish Red Cross Young Volunteer of the Year
The Irish Red Cross Young Volunteer of the Year Award is awarded to a volunteer within the Irish Red Cross who is under the age of 18 and has shown dedication to their role. They should have made a strong and positive impact on their community. This award will be presented to someone who has embodied the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and has supported the Irish Red Cross Strategy. This person will have demonstrated creativity, initiative, or passion in their role as a volunteer over the last 12 months.
Irish Red Cross Community Support Volunteer of the Year
The Irish Red Cross Community Support Volunteer of the Year Award is awarded to a volunteer within the Irish Red Cross who has shown dedication to their role either at the Branch or Area level. This person will have had a strong and positive impact on their community, encouraging community-based activities within their locality. This award will be presented to someone who has embodied the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and has supported the Irish Red Cross Strategy. This person will have demonstrated creativity, initiative, or passion in their role as a volunteer over the last 12 months.
Irish Red Cross Unit Member of the Year
The Irish Red Cross Unit Member of the Year Award will be presented to a member of the Unit Structure who has embodied the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and has demonstrated initiative and passion within the Unit Structure. This person may have been a crucial first responder, or assisted during flooding, or played a role in disaster or crisis recovery in their local communities. This person will have displayed dedication and commitment to their Unit and have demonstrated exemplary service in their role as a Unit Member.
Irish Red Cross Instructor of the Year
The Irish Red Cross Instructor of the Year Award is awarded to a volunteer who is a qualified Irish Red Cross Instructor and instructs in any discipline within Irish Red Cross. This award will be presented to someone who has actively delivered courses to members of the Irish Red Cross and the public across a wide range of courses. This volunteer will have demonstrated creativity and initiative in their role as an instructor. They will have maintained an excellent standard of course delivery, ensuring students have an enjoyable learning experience in the courses they participate in.
Examples of instructors include but are not limited to: Therapeutic Hand Care Instructors, Psychological First Aid Instructors and First Aid Instructors.
Irish Red Cross Branch of the Year
The Irish Red Cross Branch of the Year Award is awarded to a branch within the National Society that has shown dedication to supporting their members and has had a strong impact on the community served by the Branch. This award will be presented to a Branch that embodies the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and has supported the delivery of the Irish Red Cross Strategy. The Branch will have shown leadership to their members by managing good governance, administration, compliance, operational support, and community fundraising efforts.
Irish Red Cross Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to a volunteer within the National Society who has a minimum of fifty years’ service and has made a significant contribution to the Irish Red Cross during their time volunteering. This person will have a strong and positive impact on their community, encouraging humanitarian-based activities within their locality. This award will be presented to someone who has demonstrated outstanding vision, extraordinary dedication, and commitment to their volunteering within the Irish Red Cross.
Irish Red Cross Newcomer of the Year
The Newcomer of the Year Award is awarded to a volunteer within the National Society who has shown dedication to their volunteer role having joined since September 2021. This individual will exhibit outstanding performance and will have made a significant contribution in their role since joining, demonstrating a positive and willing attitude when faced with new tasks, and bringing innovative ideas to improve the volunteering experience in the Irish Red Cross.