FDC Charity Fund: Bandon Geriatric and Community Council
People 75 years and older are significantly more likely to report feelings on loneliness than those younger. The HSE reports that older individuals are much more likely to experience isolation. StMichael’s Centre in Bandon is dedicated to combatting these statistics.
Through our FDC Charity Initiative, FDC Group is proud to support St. Michael’s Centre’s development of a new community centre.
St. Michael’s Centre has a long community-based history stretching back to 1969 when St. Michael’s first opened its doors as a residential unit for older people and began supplying Meals on Wheels to the local community.
St. Michael’s Centre was started by local people who saw the need for the development of services and accommodation for older people in the area. Subsequently, Avenue House was opened in the 1980s. At its peak, St. Michael’s Centre catered for 24 residents and supplied meals on wheels in the vicinity of Bandon funded by the Health Service Executive.
Pictured left to right: Lorraine O'Brien, Joan Wilson, Ann Marie Hurley, Roger Pearson, & Jerry Mehigan.
“We truly couldn’t do our work without the bank of volunteers that we have here at St. Michael’s Centre,” said Roger Pearson (Chairperson). The charity only has two employees, so is highly dependent on their volunteers to meet all their service requirements.”
The charity operates several key services including delivering meals to those in need, offering companionship to the isolated or lonely, ringing those who would like a regular check-in and supporting care takers through a group.
The charity is an integral part of the Bandon community, organising events for the older members of the community like live music and the once-a-month Sunshine Café for dementia patients and their careers.
St. Michael’s Centre is undertaking a new project to build an additional six housing units onto their preexisting building, as well as a state-of-the-art community space. The charity’s housing projects are funded through the Department of Housing, but all other efforts are funded entirely through donations.
If you’re interested in volunteering, please visit the website and fill in the contact form, ring (023) 884 1681 or email information@stmichaelsbandon.com.