Child’s play! Charity that makes kids’ time in hospital more enjoyable seeks Kilkenny volunteers
A charity that tries to makes hospital stays for sick children a bit more enjoyable, is coming to Kilkenny looking for more volunteers to get involved.
Children in Hospital Ireland (CHI) works with sick children, bringing them fun, play and support, all in an effort to make their stay in hospital more pleasurable.
The charity has been helping children in Ireland for over 45 years and currently has over 450 volunteers working with kids in 14 hospitals across the country.
The volunteers support child-led play activities and create a play environment for children visiting the playroom, or at the bedside.
Although there is a dedicated team of volunteers working with the children in the paediatric ward in St Luke’s General Hospital, Maura Lavelle of CHI said they are hoping to find a few more people willing to help out.
Speaking to KilkennyNow.ie, Maura said: “In Kilkenny, we have an established group but we do need additional volunteers,”
“Anyone, once they are over 18, is welcome to join us. We love the idea of more male volunteers, we have a few but not as many as we would like. As you can imagine, there are a lot of female volunteers.
“The idea of CHI is simply to facilitate play. Our volunteers don’t need any experience around children, they just have to like being around kids, be generous, kind, happy and reliable.”
The information evening is taking place in Kilkenny’s Home Rule Club on John’s Quay from 6pm to 8pm. Group interviews will be held at the event, and successful volunteers will be invited back for a training event.
For more details on this evening’s event or people who would like to get involved with CHI in the future, they can email info@childreninhospital.ie.