Voluntary groups held events around the State yesterday to mark UN International Volunteer Day.
The new offices of Volunteer Centres Ireland in Dublin's Stoneybatter were opened by Noel Ahern, Minister of State for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.
Volunteer Centres Ireland is the national organisation with responsibility for developing volunteering, and represents the 11 volunteer centres operating in the Republic.
Voluntary activity was "a very important component of a healthy and caring democratic society", said Mr Ahern. "Without active volunteers communities cannot flourish."
Mr Ahern also launched the updated website www.volunteer.ie which gives information on volunteering in Ireland. One quarter of the 2,500 people who registered with volunteer centres to do voluntary work this year registered online.
Also yesterday, staff from Volunteering Ireland closed the office for the day and worked with the Habitat For Humanity building project in Ballymun.
Jessica Chinery, of Habitat for Humanity, said the donation of voluntary labour not only kept costs down but also boosted community relationships.
Minister of State for Irish Aid Conor Lenihan said that with Ireland spending ever greater amounts on its bilateral development aid programme, and on target to reach its commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of GNP on aid by 2012, there was also an increasing public interest in volunteering overseas.
The Minister was speaking at the launch of Comhlámh's volunteer charter which aims to encourage responsible, responsive volunteering in developing countries. Funded by Irish Aid, it offers basic guidelines to help prospective volunteers ensure their experience fully benefits themselves and their host community.
"The charter will help, particularly those volunteering for the first time, to make as positive a contribution as possible and have as rewarding an experience as possible."
The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Vincent Jackson, marked the day by launching 100 balloons in Ballyfermot. He highlighted the work done by Irish charities, and called for a new volunteer recognition programme.
The Depaul Trust, which works with homeless people, encouraged people to consider volunteering their services to the charity. It has 45 full and part-time volunteers working on projects in Dublin and Belfast.
"Volunteers add to the service that we can provide to homeless people in Dublin and Belfast. They enrich and add meaning to the lives of our service users," said Ria Flom, Depaul volunteer co-ordinator.
Also yesterday, it emerged that more than 400 business and professional people had registered with Boardmatch Ireland in the last year to offer their skills to the boards of community and voluntary organisations.
Boardmatch Ireland is a free web-based project www.boardmatchireland.ie matching business people with board opportunities in voluntary organisations. Its director, Brian Sheehan, said the level of interest showed that volunteering was not declining and that people recognised their social responsibilities in the midst of the Celtic Tiger.
