Gary McHale, a fourth year student at Davitt College, Castlebar has been named one of 15 Finalists in the annual Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards programme.

The awards programme, which is now in its third year, honours young people on the island of Ireland for outstanding acts of volunteerism. The programme is organised by Pramerica Systems Ireland Limited in partnership with the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) and the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (GTCNI).

Gary, 16, who lives in Castlebar was nominated for the award by his principal Joseph McGowan, and will receive a Certificate of Achievement from a representative of The Pramerica Spirit of Community programme later this month.

On the 24th of March, Gary and the 14 other finalists will be honoured at a gala awards dinner in Letterkenny and will receive €500 and an engraved silver medallion from An Tánaiste, Mary Coughlan. In addition, two of the finalists will be named All-Ireland Youth Volunteers of the Year at the awards dinner and will receive €1,000 for a charity they select, a gold medallion and an all expenses paid trip to the United States in May to take part in the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards ceremony.

Gary was selected for the honour because of his commitment to his elderly neighbour who lives alone. Gary was prompted to volunteering when he witnessed his elderly neighbour struggle with daily chores and saw the loneliness he suffered. By virtue of his volunteering Gary has now become an important part of his neighbour’s life. Every day he cooks him his evening meal, puts on his fire, feeds his dog and secures the house before he goes to bed. Apart from the practical side to his volunteering, Gary also has become a friend to his neighbour. He takes time to talk to him and reminisce about his own life.

According to Pramerica Systems Ireland Managing Director Henry McGarvey, "Young people as inspiring as Gary contribute greatly to our society. By honouring them, the Pramerica Spirit of Community Award hopes to give them the recognition they so richly deserve. We are awed by the dedication and faith demonstrated by Gary and the 14 other finalists. Pramerica is a proud partner in this programme of recognition for such inspiring and exemplary young people."

The 15 Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards Finalists were selected from second-level students nominated by their school principals last November. The criteria on which they were evaluated included motivation, service, impact, sustainability, commitment and personal challenge.

The Selection Committee includes Mary Davis, EurAsia Special Olympics; Yvonne McKenna, Volunteer Centres Ireland; Áine O’Neill, NAPD, GTCNI Chairperson Sally McKee; and Henry McGarvey of Pramerica.

According to NAPD President Ciaran McCormack, "NAPD is consistently surprised by the variety and high standard of applications in the Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards.  The awards themselves offer an invaluable platform for post-primary school students to showcase the range of voluntary activities that they undertake. The programme is also unique in that it brings together school leaders from across Ireland. The partnership between NAPD and GTCNI led by Pramerica is very much welcomed."

GTCNI Chairperson Sally McKee says, "GTCNI is delighted to be associated with this awards programme as it gives unrivalled recognition to these fine young people are give up so much of their spare time to community activities. Many of these post-primary students undertake the work on their own initiative.  The standard of the applications this year was phenomenal and a true reflection of the fantastic young people in our schools. Pramerica is providing important recognition to young people and to their schools which is welcomed by GTCNI."

The Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards are modelled on The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards in the United States, which was created in 1995 by Pramerica’s parent, Prudential Financial, Inc. (PFI)*. Since then, more than 200,000 young Americans have participated in that programme, and nearly 90,000 of them have won awards for their volunteer activities. The programme has been widely praised by educators, government officials, parents and community leaders, and has involved many notable Americans, including former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former First Lady Barbara Bush, former president Jimmy Carter, actor Richard Dreyfuss, former astronaut and U.S. senator John Glenn, comedian Whoopi Goldberg, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, basketball superhero Magic Johnson, the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson and former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who retired from the U.S. Army as a four- star general. The program was expanded to Japan in 1997, South Korea in 1999, Taiwan in 2000, and Ireland in 2006, all locations where PFI has significant business operations.

Pramerica Systems Ireland, which opened in 2000 in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, and now has 640 employees, provides essential computer-technology and client-contact services to PFI businesses around the world. Pramerica’s Information Technology Group develops software and other systems solutions for PFI’s business groups; and its Operations Group functions as a back-office contact centre for PFI business groups across the United States.

NAPD represents principals and deputy principals in the Republic of Ireland at post-primary level. The association aims to provide a united voice for principals and deputy principals. GTCNI is an independent, self-regulatory body established to represent the professional interests of teachers in Northern Ireland.