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Chevron College
CHEVRON COLLEGE
Highlighting Volunteerism
Through Volunteer Expo Wexford, Chevron College supported a showcase of the local volunteer-led organisations and the valuable services which they provide to the community
Chevron College is a QQI accredited provider of further and higher education training programmes, which delivers career-focused training to learners throughout Ireland via online and blended learning channels.
Chevron College is fully committed to initiatives which both ‘give back’ to the community of Wexford and promote issues pertaining to sustainability. The Volunteer Expo Wexford is a prime example of how the company’s involvement encouraged leading voluntary and business organisations within the county, to develop an event which achieved both of these goals.
In recognising the expansive volunteer needs of local charities and not-for-profit organisations and to actively address the recruitment challenges which they faced, the Volunteer Expo Wexford provided a showcase of the local volunteer-led organisations and the valuable services which they provide to the community. In conjunction with the Rotary Club of Wexford, Chevron College was responsible for project managing the event, which included utilising its internal marketing, and operational resources to promote the event to exhibitors and attendees, securing media partnership arrangements and engaging with relevant stakeholders in the community to ensure that the event was a resounding success. EXPONENTIAL BENEFITS In highlighting the work of 40 local volunteer-led organisations, the Expo delivered exponential benefits to the 531 attendees. Principally, by providing remote workers with a valuable connection to their local community, promoting volunteerism to a young demographic by partnering with local secondary schools, assisting retired members of our society to use the free time in a meaningful and productive manner, and as a platform for businesses to identify suitable organisations to partner with for their respective ESG and CSR commitments, the community has benefited immeasurably from this initiative.
Importantly, the post-event survey highlighted overwhelming support for the Expo, both from the perspectives of attendees and exhibitors, with the participating volunteer-led organisations emphatically highlighting the need for it to become an annual event.
Karl Fitzpatrick, President of Chevron College
Karl Fitzpatrick, President of Chevron College, in evaluating the significant role which the Volunteer Expo Wexford played in the Wexford community stated that, “In paying homage to the adage that ‘You make your life from what you give’, the Expo facilitated an environment which clearly demonstrated that selflessness and commitment to the betterment of the community are still values that people hold close to their hearts.
“Furthermore, in creating powerful community relationships between businesses and the volunteer-led organisations across County Wexford, community-based buy-in for sustaining this initiative into the future has now been firmly established,” added Mr. Fitzpatrick.
Critically, the success of Volunteer Expo Wexford has prompted Fitzpatrick (who is a proud Rotarian and a member of the organisation’s District Council) to encourage Rotary Clubs throughout the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to establish their own Expo events, thus emphasising the potential to create a concerted campaign to sustain the volunteerism movement across the island of Ireland.
