‘I know my dad would be so proud to see that I’ve carried on his legacy’

Shauna Cooney has won The BIG Christmas Giveback after following in her dad’s footsteps to volunteer for her community, and believes that volunteering is vital to the future of our Irish towns

A Donegal Town resident who has spent decades volunteering for her community has been praised for her ‘unstinting dedicated service’ after winning The BIG Christmas Giveback, a national competition in Ireland to celebrate unsung local heroes.

After winning the competition and the €1000 Donegal Town Gift Card prize, part of the Town & City Gift Card initiative from Miconex active across Ireland, Shauna Cooney said volunteering is vital to the future of Irish towns: “Both my parents passed away when I was young. While I was growing up my dad, Michael, was always involved in the community. He founded the St John Bosco Centre alongside others, and would take us girls to the centre with him. Everyone knew my dad and while he wasn’t the most gregarious, he definitely had the skill of getting others involved and bringing them along on the journey. People often said he was ahead of his time.

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“I think it’s so important to volunteer and incredibly valuable to our communities – volunteering is vital for the future of our towns. If we didn’t have our volunteers, there would be no centres like the St John Bosco Centre and no places for people to meet and socialise. There are many unsung heroes in our communities that should be recognised for the work they do. At the St John Bosco Centre for example, it’s not just me, there’s a whole team who turn up every week and keep the centre going.

“If more people gave one hour to their community each week, the local impact would be unreal. Volunteering gives something to the community but you also get a lot back too. You meet new people, and make friends for life. I know my dad would be so proud to see that I’ve carried on his legacy at the St John Bosco Centre and in other volunteering work such as the Four Masters Club.

“I’m lucky to have an amazing family and wonderful friends, who all took the time to nominate me in this competition. It definitely won’t be hard to spend the Donegal Town Gift Card prize and it has come at a very good time of year. We use the Donegal Town Gift Card ourselves as prizes, and it can be used in so many local businesses, which keeps our community strong for the benefit of all of us. When my sisters and I lost our parents, our community rallied round. By volunteering, I’m giving back to the community that supported us.”

The St John Bosco Centre in Donegal Town is a community hub that was built in 1959 and provides a range of services for all ages in the community including boxing, bingo, pickleball, swimming lessons, squash, Bosco Productions and car boot sales. Shauna received over 400 nominations in The BIG Christmas Giveback.

One nominator said: “Shauna makes a difference. She makes a fantastic contribution to her community - she generously gives her time and energy to support in so many ways. She is kind, friendly and always looking out for others. She is also a person of action and collaborates to get things done - if you want something done or help with something she never hesitates to jump in to help. The community is very lucky to have her and she would be a very worthy winner.”

Another person said: “Hard to know where to start. From an amazing family of three girls who lost their parents from a young age. They stood together, survived, thrived and succeeded in their own lives but don’t take anything or anyone for granted. Shauna has given her time, dedication and commitment to giving others in life that need a helping hand providing social events in the local community of Donegal in the St John Bosco centre where people from all walks of life are welcome to enjoy whatever events that are organised by Shauna that help them to enjoy a more fulfilled and happy life.”

In addition to Shauna receiving the €1000 Donegal Town Gift Card prize, one person who nominated Shauna, Conor Gallagher, receives a €500 Donegal Town Gift Card. Conor said: “Shauna is a lovely person that does a lot for Donegal Town, she’s always helping out with all kinds of community events and activities. I can’t believe I won the Donegal Town Gift Card, there are loads of places to spend it, so I’ll probably buy some Christmas presents and have a few meals out too.”

Gareth Britton from the Donegal Town Business Focus Group, who delivers the Donegal Town Gift Card, said: “We’re delighted that Donegal local Shauna has won this national campaign and has been recognised for the outstanding work she does for our community. People like Shauna, who go above and beyond make Donegal Town a better place to live and work.”

Miconex operates its Town & City Gift Card initiative in 16 towns, cities and regions across Ireland. Each gift card can only be spent with registered businesses in the town, city or county that card is branded to, locking spend into local economies. The cards are popular for gifts for all occasions, and for organisations to use as employee rewards, blending unbeatable local choice with support for local.

Colin Munro is the CEO of Miconex and said: “It’s wonderful to see Shauna win The BIG Christmas Giveback and the Donegal Town Gift Card prize just in time for Christmas. This campaign was designed to shine a light on the amazing work happening in our local communities by unsung local heroes like Shauna. I’d like to thank everyone that got involved in the campaign, including the nominees and everyone that took the time to nominate.