Woman's Way Mum of The Month Winners

AWARDS

MUM Mum of the Month

Joanna PearmanAOWFATRHDESY2E0A2R1

Longford mum Joanna Pearman has volunteered Nora-May we were living in Dublin. When
whenever she saw a gap in services and something she was about 18 months we moved to
that needed to be done. Longford, my husband is from Granard. I
was in sales and marketing, and I stopped
Mums know better than Joanna Pearman working outside the home to raise my
almost anyone that children. To go from doing that to being at
towns and villages run on "I used to volunteer with CoderDojo home is a big change so I volunteered here
volunteers. ere is always Longford, and their father was one of and there.
someone going above and the mentors, so I knew he'd have the
beyond to make sure the extra things are technical know-how. Between us, we ran “I ran the toddler group and that provided
done where you live. a trial, which meant that, come actual real a network of moms. Another lady had
lockdown, I was good to go. started it and I took over when her children
One such woman is mum of three Joanna aged out. at's how I made friends. en,
Pearman. She relocated to Ardagh in "Because I was used to doing that, I started when my children started school, I was
Longford when her children were small running the Guide meetings that way and involved in the parents’ association, and we
and has been volunteering locally for more they were working well online. en I did lots of activities.
than a decade. It started out with a mum started doing the Brownies as well online.”
and toddler group, then the Longford “ en there was the Brownies in Ardagh.
branch of Coder Dojo and the Ardagh Joanna very clearly loves what she does It was very funny when I got involved
Preservation Society. But her biggest and her passion for the Irish Girl Guides is because another woman had been running
passion is for the Girl Guides. infectious. it for years and was sort of on her own, with
any parent that she could rope in with her.
“I've been volunteering with the Irish “Volunteering with IGG is great fun.
Girl Guides (IGG) for 13 years. I've been e girls are hilarious. ere's a set en, when I joined, she left immediately.
with the Brownies on and off that whole program there full of activities and things In fairness to her, she did come back a year
time. I volunteered to be a leader just that interest girls. It's so broad you know later. She just needed a rest.”
before my eldest daughter joined so that you can cover all sorts of activities
that I would be there before her, and we with the girls and what interests you as Joanna believes that the more you
wouldn’t be new together. well. It's like being you're your own boss volunteer, the easier it can be because you
really. As long as you're sticking within the build up a network of people you can ask
At that time, we only had the Brownie program parameters, it's up to you what to help. Asking is key. Most people don’t
unit in Ardagh. So when the girls I worked you're doing.” often realise that they could be of use but
with were old enough to go up to the But what makes a volunteer different once you ask them directly, they’re very
Guides, I started the Guides unit. I was and want to get involved? For Joanna her willing to help. "You can advertise and
running both then. at same year, I move from city life in Dublin to a more rural advertise. I think people just think that
decided to set up a Ladybirds unit so that setting where she didn’t know many people you don't mean them."
my younger daughter could join. I didn’t was a large part of it. “Am I a pathological
run that one though, I got a friend to do volunteer?” Joanna laughs. “I always say when you volunteer, you
that. en I recruited new Brownie leaders “Well, when I had my first daughter can do as little or as much as you want. I do
so I could focus on the Guides more. I've what I do because I like doing it. You might
been mainly doing Guides, but I do go back have somebody who loves doing crafts, so
to Brownies now and then. It's a lovely age they'll just do crafts with the girls. I have
to work with, but it is tiring” one lady, she doesn't come to meetings, but
she does my books.
Volunteering during Covid wasn’t
always easy but Joanna didn’t let the “It's also important to respect the fact that
Guides or Brownies fall by the wayside people are volunteering and to make sure
during lockdown. A piano teacher by you give them something to make them feel
trade, she had started giving Zoom valued, not just have them turn up and sit in
lessons to two of her students very early the corner. at's not a good thing.”
on in the pandemic.
Congratulations to Joanna Pearman, our
“I was giving Zoom piano lessons well-deserved August Mum.WW
immediately on March 19 because I actually
had two students whose mother was If you want to nominate someone for
vulnerable. ey missed lessons and I was our next Mum of the Month, as part of
concerned that they would drop behind. our Mum of the Year Awards 2021, in
partnership with Beko send us an email
at [email protected]