Two Castleknock teens nominated for award

Two Castleknock teenagers have been shortlisted for a major award that honours voluntary work carried out in their communities.

Colm Mooney (18) and Sarah-Jane Lalor (15) have both made the shortlist of twenty for the Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards and will be awarded an engraved silver medallion, €500 and an invitation to the Gala Awards dinner in Belfast on 2nd April, chaired by Nobel Prize winner, John Hume. At this event, two All-Ireland Youth Volunteers of the Year will be named, each of whom will receive €1,000 for their chosen charity and a trip to Washington.

Colm is a sixth year student of Castleknock Community College (CCC) and has been the driving force in producing a booklet for teenagers suffering from cancer arising from his own experience with the disease. This is the second consecutive year that the college has had a student in the shortlist.

“What's going on? A guide for teenagers with cancer,” has had a major impact, as prior to the booklet there was no up to date guide available in the country for teenagers suffering from cancer. As part of the editing committee, Colm used his own experience of cancer to re-edit the booklet which was officially launched at the Mansion House in September 2007, where he addressed the audience.

The booklet has been distributed to teenagers throughout Ireland and has been essential reading for consultants, surgeons and nurses to give an insight into the mindset of a teenager with cancer.

Colm is also a volunteer with the group CanTeen Ireland and, with his help, his year-group raised €22,000 for cancer research.

“Colm is a young man who gives selflessly at no little cost to himself,” said CCC’s Principal Tom O’Brien. “He is an inspiration to all."

Sarah-Jane Lalor is a fourth year student at Mount Sackville Secondary School and has worked selflessly with people who have special needs. She works voluntarily at a youth club that gives people with special needs a place to go and have fun and is also heavily involved in fundraising and organising events for the St. Vincent De Paul.

Inspired by her brother Adam who has Downs Syndrome, Sarah-Jane has always maintained the level of commitment and time given to those with special needs. She gives one-to-one care to autistic and Downs Syndrome children and takes time to organise specific tasks and games suited to the children's abilities.

If this were not enough, she is also a Special Olympics coach and chairs the Respect Committee in her school which works to raise awareness of those with Downs Syndrome. She has invested time completing a Child Protection Course which allowed her work with children.

“I really want to do something that can help Adam and others like him, to have a place to go and have fun and enjoy themselves like everyone else,” she explains modestly.

The Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards programme is an all-Ireland scheme that recognises and rewards post-primary/second-level students for volunteer work carried out in their communities.

Introduced to Ireland in 2006, the programme is run in conjunction with the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals and the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland. It provides a platform to acknowledge deserving students, inspire young people to get involved in community service activities and attract widespread recognition for their schools.

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