Jake Vella volunteer centre in Paola expands with new floor for NGOs
€120,000 upgrade gives voluntary groups in the South more space, support and facilities
Voluntary organisations in the South of Malta have more space and support facilities available to them after a new floor dedicated to Jake Vella was added to the Paola volunteering centre.
The centre, which was inaugurated in a building in Paola earlier this year, has undergone extensive modernisation works which cost €120,000.
The new floor is dedicated to inspirational teenage athlete Jake Vella who died from a rare condition at the age of 15. It will offer members of voluntary organisations the opportunity to operate from the premises at specific times through a hot-desking system.
Visiting the premises on inauguration day, Inclusion Minister Julia Farrugia said that since its opening a few weeks ago, the centre has already had 71 bookings from voluntary organisations.
“Today we are not only inaugurating a new floor, but also strengthening the social fabric of our society,” Farrugia said.
“This investment is not only for a floor in a building; it is an investment in the future of the sector, in the creation of serious, professional, and sustainable structures that give more strength to smaller organisations that often carry a heavy burden.”
After Valletta, Rabat, Birkirkara and Xewkija in Gozo, the Paola centre now serves organisations — particularly small and medium ones — that depend on this type of facility for their operations.
Organisations wishing to book the Jake Vella Volunteer Centre, both the lower level and now the upper floor, must use the booking system on maltacvs.org.
Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector chairperson Gertrude Buttigieg said the Paola centre “accommodates all sectors, especially those that do not have a place to meet, bring members together, or host activities that involve other organisations and the general public.”