Gaisce gold awards for st muredachs college pair
President Michael D. Higgins celebrated 30 years of Gaisce - The President’s Award by presenting the Gold Award to over 60 young people in a ceremony held in Dublin Castle last week, with two St. Muredach's College, Ballina, students among them.
Stephen Loftus (fifth year) and Ethan Preston (Leaving Certificate) were the youngest awardees at the ceremony.
They began their Gaisce journey in 2011 when they registered for the Bronze Award. After successfully completing that, they progressed and completed the Silver Award with great success.
Both Stephen and Ethan showed the true spirit of Gaisce - The President’s Award by making the decision to embark on the Gold Award journey, which requires much determination and a will to succeed. They completed all three awards under the guidance of St. Muredach’s College’s President’s Award leader, Jane McGee.
The Gold Award is the most demanding challenge of all three awards. This is the first time that students at St. Muredach’s College have completed the Gold Award.
It was a good week on the double for Stephen, as he was also recognised for the motivation, service and impact he has demonstrated for his local community as a 2015 Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards top 20 finalist.
Stephen has been involved in the Order of Malta Ambulance Corps for eight years, providing essential first aid services in the local community. Playing an integral part in the cadet training team, he has been a youth leader for two years as well as helping to run the local Care and Respect for the Elderly (CARE) initiatives in the community. He also spends his time fundraising to keep the unit up and running and has been to Lourdes twice assisting those who require 24-hour care.
With a strong desire to help those in need of medical attention, Stephen says he gets an immense sense of satisfaction from his work: “Whether I am helping someone in an emergency situation or improving the quality of life of an elderly person or teaching first aid to teenagers, the feeling you get when you know you have made a positive difference in someone’s life is indescribable.”
Eilish O’Neill from the Order of Malta describes Stephen as ‘an exceptional member’ of the unit. “He has a very caring nature and has shown an excellent ability to deal with the public,” she adds.