Rehabcare service users receive awards

More than two dozen Rehabcare service users in Cavan were awarded certificates of accomplishment after completing job shadowing placements in the community last year.

Rehabcare provides services to close to 70 service users from its base at Drumalee and also out of the Ozanam centre.

Programmes include part-time supported employment, social integration and community inclusion and independent living training.

Seventeen local employers took part in the initiative included Cavan County Council and the library service in Cavan and Belturbet, Elena's Dog Grooming, Identity Hair and Beauty, Centra Drumalee, Gala Belturbet, Cavan Cathedral, McDonald's, Maudie's, An Garda Siochana Cavan, Cavan and Ballyconnell Fire Service, the St Vincent de Paul shop on Bridge Street, Cullies Maxol Service Station, the Department of Agriculture, and Interparts Cavan.

Each were thanked for their support, and praised for opening up their respective workplaces to Rehabcare service users to provide an opportunity to learn and explore the working world.

All companies and employers were extremely welcoming, and made the experience truly enjoyable for all participants.

Angela Cleary had a busy year last year, fitting her time job shadowing at Elena's Dog Grooming service with shouldering the responsibility of representing Ireland as an athlete at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin.

The bowler, and a member of the Breffni Blues Special Olympics Club in Cavan, earned sixth place and a participation medal in the individual bowling competition. She loved her time working at dog groomers.

“I love animals. I washed the dogs,” says Angela who has four cats herself. When asked which she prefers most, Angela diplomatically replies: “Both!”

Amy Jackson worked at Cavan library. “I like books,” explains the avid reader, and a big fan of the Harry Potter services. “It was a good experience to get in and see what they do in there. I read many types of books but mainly Harry Potter. I re-read them. They're brilliant.”

Jackie Ann Magennis also worked in the library, but job shadowing her mum Jacqui who is a librarian in Belturbet. He loved her time there, telling the Celt: “I helped her sorting out DVDs, the books, I took some home to read and watch on the telly. It's a busy place.”

Leann Hannigan did her job shadowing at the Cavan Garda Station. “We went in, looked around, saw the interview rooms, and the cells. They showed us how they do fingerprints, and we got fingerprinted as well.”

Cavan-Monaghan Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Smith attended to hand out the certificates. He congratulated all the participants and commended the employers for their “cooperation and collaboration”. Without their support, Deputy Smith said the programme simply “couldn't function”.

He paid tribute to “lifelong learning”, and credited also the commitment of staff.

Mairead Crossan is programme supervisor with Rehabcare Cavan. She explained that the job shadowing initiative had been up and running for the past eight years, barring the years of the pandemic.

She said the awards were an “important day” for service users.

“It could be a day in some business in town, or a couple of days. It depends on the service user. They could do an hour, two hours, but it's about participation, it's about learning, and it's about the experience each of them get from it. Some of them have done work experience as well, which takes place over six weeks. They're volunteering their time, they're learning, getting out into the community as well. They really enjoy their time.”