Donegal County Council sponsored Donegal REHAB “People of the Year Awards” launched for 2005
The eleventh series of the Donegal REHAB “People of the Year Awards 2005” has been launched with Donegal County Council again being the primary sponsors, along with the invaluable support of the Donegal Democrat/Derry Journal Newspaper Group.
At the official launch of this year’s Awards, Cllr. Dessie Larkin, Cathaoirleach of DCC said, ”Donegal County Council is delighted to be associated this year again with the REHAB People of the Year awards. Each year the awards recognise the value of people in the county and acknowledge the hard working community and voluntary sector. The Community and Enterprise Directorate in the council are working in cooperation with communities throughout the county to improve the quality of life of people. It is fitting therefore that the council in this small way can be involved in thanking the volunteers who work tirelessly, at weekends and nights, to realise a better standard of living for communities in the county. The REHAB Awards offer those of us in the county who value the work of these people the chance to nominate men, women and young people in our own towns and villages who make our lives mere bearable. These awards give recognition of outstanding contributions of individuals to society. Please take the time to nominate someone!”
Welcoming the participation of Donegal County Council, REHAB’S Regional Organiser, Amanda Crawford, said “ “We are delighted that Donegal County Council have agreed to again become associated with these awards, it seems particularly fitting that our own County Council, which provides quality services to the people of Donegal, should honour those, who, through their contribution to the community, but for these awards, might otherwise go unrecognised. Please take a little bit of time to nominate someone, whether it be an individual or group of individuals, so that they can be publicly acknowledged by their peers and their county, and if you nominee has been nominated in the past, and has, so far, not been chosen, please put their name forward again. There are only eleven awards each year, and our adjudicator’s have an extremely difficult job each year to choose the winners, because the quality of nominations is so high, so maybe this year will be the year for your nominee to win! And, this year, for the first time ever, the Donegal award winners will go forward for inclusion as nominees in the National “People of the Year Awards” which are held each autumn and are shown on RTE. In fact this year’s Awards, which took place in September, was watched by over 400,000 people, making it one of the most popular programmes on RTE television.” Nomination forms are printed in this paper and will also be made available through Donegal County Council Public Services Centres, and the county’s library system, and from local communities centres and in the training centres of REHAB, National Learning Network & RehabCare.
This years awards will again honour people, many of whom will be unsung heroes in the community, who through their personal leadership, participation, courage or achievement, have made an outstanding contribution to the community in the county or amongst Donegal people living away from home. Ten awards will be made and the judges, at their discretion, may award an additional “Hall of Fame” Award.
The Awards continue to be given invaluable media support by the Donegal Democrat and Derry Journal Newspapers, and the organisers are confident that the number and quality of the nominations will continue to rise, to enable the judging panel to assemble a list of winners who will maintain the high standards established over the past ten years.
Last years winners were presented with a specially designed trophy by Donegal silversmith, Ruth Kavanagh, and were: John A. McLaughlin, Carrowmenagh, Billy Geary, Castlefin, Brian Anderson, Ballybofey, Clement MacSuibhne, Ballyliffin, Gerard Sharkey, St. Johnston, Gerry Gillespie, Glencolmcille, Neil Doherty, Buncrana, Eamonn MacAoidh, Falcarragh, Clodagh Duggan, Glenties, Anthony Molloy, Ardara and Patsy Croal, Ballyshannon.
Presentation Gala
This year the awards, described by the Donegal Democrat as “the blue riband event of the year” will be presented at a Gala Function on April 1st, in The Mount Errigal Hotel, Letterkenny and will reflect the importance of the event and the admiration felt for the award winners by their communities. The Master of Ceremonies for the presentation will again be the Chairman of the “Rehab Donegal People of the Year” organising Committee, Art Kavanagh.
Funds raised from the event will go towards the work of REHAB in Co.Donegal, which has a Nation Learning Network training centre in Lifford and Killybegs and a large RehabCare centres in Lifford, with work ongoing for a new centre in Letterkenny, where the work at these centres contribute to independence, equality and integration for people with disabilities, their carers and for those who are marginalized.
Nominations
Those eligible for nominations (any person or organisation may nominate a candidate)
will either be a native of Donegal or will have resided in the County for at least a year and who has made what is considered to be an outstanding contribution at local, national or international level.
Completion of Nominations
Nomination forms will be available at all the Donegal County Council civic offices and through the counties branch network of local Libraries and Donegal County Council area offices, from the Rehab Centre in Lifford, and of course, through the nomination form printed in this newspaper. The organisers and adjudicators continue to emphasise that care be taken in the completion of the nominations. The addition of press cuttings and photographs add body and colour to the nominations, but details of the Nominees achievements are vital to paint a proper picture. Letters of support from associations etc can also be included. There have been 10 series of awards – with only 106 people being honoured so far out of a population of 120,000! There are hundreds of deserving nominees who cannot be honoured unless they are nominated! The closing date for nominations is Monday February 6th 2006, with judging during the following week. Award winners will be announced mid-February 2006.
Reaction from those involved in past awards:
Art Kavanagh, Chairman, People of the Year Committee:
We were delighted with the social and fundraising success of last year’s event, which was the best to date. The size of the attendance and the quality if the winners continue to give prestige and integrity to the event. We urge people to make the effort to complete nominations for the dozens of hugely deserving workers within their local communities, so that they may receive the public acclaim they richly deserve.
Anthony Molloy-Ardara:
Since captaining the All-Ireland winning team for Donegal in 1992 I have been honoured by many bodies, but being honoured by the people of your own community and County Council is a very special honour indeed!
Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh, ALTAN:
I felt deeply honoured for being chosen for this award and I feel that Rehab and their sponsors are giving a chance to publicly acknowledge the many people who work away in their community and county, and who might never get the recognition they
deserve. It is a tremendous honour to be given and I will never forget the night of the awards themselves, surrounded by family, friends and colleagues and feeling deeply appreciative that my community had so honoured me.
Gerry Gillespie-Glencolmcille:
I was thrilled and honoured to be awarded a “People of the Year” award. I regarded it as not only recognition of my own efforts, but also the efforts of those hundreds of voluntary workers throughout the county, who, but for this award, would go unnoticed and unrewarded. Long may these continue!
Paddy Harte, T.D,
Having had the honour of representing Co. Donegal for 30 years, I was fortunate to have received many awards and recognitions. Being chosen as a “Donegal People of the Year” in 2001 was on a par with any previous award, and all the more treasured because it happened in county Donegal itself.
James Likely – Ballyshannon
I was very honoured to have been chosen. It made me more conscious of the work being done by REHAB. The night of the presentation was something I will never forget. I was not expecting such support from friends, family and business associates and was surprised when I arrived at the hotel to see such a turn out. It was a great feeling for one’s efforts and successes to be recognised and appreciated by members of the local community.
Sammy McGarvey - Dunfanaghy:
I feel that receiving the award was a very great honour, not only for me, but also for my family and community. There are many worthy people in the parish, and I feel that one of them will be nominated for the award in the future.
Damian Faulkner – Moville:
I felt very honoured that the people of Donegal nominated me for these awards. Awards in the world of motorsport are highly desired, but an award like the “People of the Year” award, from your own community and your own county, is very special.