Lisa Murphy from Tullyallen, in Co. Louth is a passionate volunteer with IWA’s North East Thunder Wheelchair Basketball Club after it helped transform her family’s life.
Her journey into Wheelchair Basketball and IWA, began after her husband Martin was involved in a life-changing accident in 2013, leaving him paralysed from the waist down. At the time, their son was just four months old.
“Our whole world changed overnight. It changed everything for him (Martin), but it changed everything for me too,” she explains.
A year after the accident, Lisa’s husband took up playing Wheelchair Basketball through Irish Wheelchair Association’s North East Thunder WBC — something Lisa says completely transformed their lives.
“Without IWA and North East Thunder Club, I honestly don’t know where we would be.”
From the beginning, Lisa threw herself into supporting her husband at matches. That progressed to helping out where she could and quickly grew into a huge voluntary role. Today, as branch secretary and volunteer, she helps organise bucket collections, insurance, Garda vetting, Christmas parties, fundraising and whatever else needs doing!
“If somebody asked me to stand out in the snow with a bucket collection for North East Thunder and Irish Wheelchair Association, I’d do it,” she laughs. “That’s how much it means to us.”
IWA offers many opportunities from volunteering in a community centre, sports club, bucket collecting on our Annual Fundraising Day or helping out in one of our charity shops.
We are currently seeking volunteers for our Annual Fundraising Day on Thursday September 26th.
If you would like to get involved, please fill in the volunteering form with some information and we will do the rest.
IWA would like to thank our volunteers for their continued continued support.