Helping Hands wins place on SEI awards programme
By Maurice Garvey
SOCIAL entrepreneur, Maria Garvey, whose business Helping Hands is based in Rathfarnham, has been announced as one of the winners of the 2019 Social Entrepreneurs Ireland (SEI) Awards.
Ms Garvey is one of six social entrepreneurs to have won a place on this year’s SEI Awards programme.
Maria Garvey from Helping Hands proudly shows of the award
The announcement was made on October 9 at the SEI Awards Celebration at the Mansion House.
The SEI Awards programme identifies high-potential social entrepreneurs and supports them through significant funding, mentoring, and support networks.
Helping Hands is an anti-bullying programme that provides schools with the tools and training to enable teachers to identify and prevent bullying before it can start.
Ms Garvey said: “I am absolutely delighted to be among this year’s winners. In many ways, the Helping Hands Project is a culmination of my life’s work. Most of it has been self-funded.
Huge work has gone into developing the online element and this has been provided on a pro-bono basis.
The Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Award is an enormous vote of confidence and a validation of the work we have been doing.
This recognition has provided us with valuable support to grow and to succeed in improving the lives of young people.”
CEO of SEI, Darren Ryan said: “This year’s awardees are already starting to change Ireland for the better.
I would like to congratulate Maria and I look forward to seeing the Helping Hands project evolve into a highly impactful, effective, scalable, and sustainable organisation.”
