Community activist wins first ‘Extra Mile’ award from much-loved Limerick charity

A COMMUNITY activist who has helped generations of children from the city’s southside into third-level education has been honoured with a special prize.

Kay Flanagan has become the very first recipient of the Extra Mile award, which has been put in place to recognise the incredible people locally who go above and beyond the call of duty.

The award is to be given on a monthly basis by Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention, the group which carries out riverside patrols and provides support to those who may be in distress.

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Chairperson Matt Collins said the award has been “created to recognise the incredible people in our communities who quietly go above and beyond for others, often without any recognition or thanks”.

He added Kay, who is from Prospect and now living in Dooradoyle, “truly embodies the spirit of this award”.

“For the last 28 years, she has worked tirelessly to help young people access third-level education and vital resources, consistently going above and beyond to support, encourage and advocate for those who need it the most,” Matt said.

“Her dedication, compassion and unwavering commitment have made a lasting difference to countless lives in our community.”

Kay works largely in the Weston area, and the award was given to her at the Garryglass House community centre.

She was not expecting to receive the award, believing Treaty Suicide Prevention volunteers were there to give a talk on mental health.

Instead, she was presented with a cut-glass trophy and a bunch of flowers from the team.

“This is unbelievable, seriously,” Kay exclaimed.

“It has been a pleasure working here. It’s great to do a job you love doing. Everyone says to me how much I do for everyone. No - I’m just providing a springboard,” she said.

Asked how she felt to get the award, she said: “It’s surreal. It’s absolutely surreal. There was no need to do it! I’m doing what I love doing!”

She was joined in Garryglass House by her friends and family, who were all in on the plan to surprise her!

As well as helping youngsters with applications for third-level - including giving them support in writing personal statements -

Kay has also put together a bursary scheme.

It’s a small fund to help youngsters with the basics of starting university, paying for transport and books among other practical measures.

Matt, who has known Kay all his life said: “She deserves this. When we were talking about starting up this award, we were aware of an awful lot of people who do so much work and they get forgotten about. So we decided in the group that we needed to start recognising them. I’m very proud to get the ball rolling with her.”