Ireland is filled to the brim with exceptional people who volunteer their time to help others every week.
Today FM's Off The Charts with Fergal D'Arcy and Dairygold are celebrating some very special volunteers who spend their time making a minute for the good stuff.
For many people around Ireland ‘making a minute for the good stuff’ means helping others, and in turn this can help them feel happier and healthier.
Take Mekale McAfee for example. He has just moved to Ireland from North Carolina.
The 33 year old said, 'I left the states, I left all of my friends and family behind and I miss them.'
The Dairygold Rollertoaster paid Mekale a visit to welcome him to our wonderful corner of the world and to help connect him with other volunteers, and perhaps even make a few friends.
They made their way to the DSPCA, and before long Mekale wasn't feeling so lonely.
DSPCA CEO Brian Gillen said, 'People who give up their time often find they get more out of it than the people they are helping.
'Volunteering gives people a reason to get up in the morning, it gives people meaning, it gives people something to do.
'Once we get Mekale to put his wellies on and he does his first morning of cleaning poo we'll see what he's made of!'
And there wasn't a bother on Mekale, who got stuck in with two hands and was soon laughing and chatting easily with the other volunteers at the DSPCA.
Three weeks later and Mekale said he is still loving it, 'It's wonderful! I finally feel like I'm settling into Irish life. I'm making new friends, both human friends and dogs!'
'It has changed me and I feel happier and healthier thanks to this, I can't wait to go back next week.'
