NSW's 1.4 million volunteers to be recognised
[19 June 2007 | The Centre for Volunteering]
The 1.4 million volunteers in NSW who work tirelessly for the community are to be recognised in a new award.
The Centre for Volunteering, the peak body for unpaid work in NSW, today officially launched the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards.
Chief Executive of The Centre, Lynne Dalton, called for representatives of the thousands of not-for-profit organisations throughout the State to nominate their most dedicated and productive workers.
Ms Dalton said that volunteers in Australia are estimated to contribute about $12.5 billion a year through their unpaid efforts. In NSW the figure is almost $3 billion a year, based on $15 per hour.
"The fact is that many services we take for granted on a daily basis would quite simply collapse if it were not for the contributions week in, week out, of volunteers," said Ms Dalton.
"The contributions stretch from aged care, education and child welfare and counselling, through to emergency callout, event control to running sporting clubs, environmental care and animal protection.
"There's hardly an area of life which is not helped by volunteering. We will be making every effort to ensure that the Volunteer of the Year Award recognise that invaluable unpaid effort."
Minister for Volunteering, Linda Burney, who will be the patron of the inaugural awards, said that importance of the volunteering effort had been highlighted during the recent storms in the Hunter and on the Central Coast.
"Without a second thought, ordinary people did extraordinary things to help out.
"It's estimated that around 1300 volunteers each day were involved in the rescue effort on the Central Coast and many more in the Hunter.
"They all deserve our deep admiration and our thanks.
"Although we tend to notice the work of volunteers more in emergencies, there are armies of people across the state who regularly give freely of their time to help others.
"They are the meals on wheels volunteers who provide food and support for the frail aged, the surf life savers who patrol our beaches, the parents who help at their child's school, bushcarers who re-generate our native bushland, and sports coaches who give up their weekends and evenings for their local teams.
"In offering a hand, these people not only help those in need, they make our communities stronger, better places to live.
"These awards are about recognising the efforts of outstanding volunteers across all of these fields," Ms Burney said.
Details of how the awards will be promoted and conducted throughout the State will be promoted through Councils and State Government organisations and posted on the Internet.
"We are looking at Awards for volunteers up to the age of 25; from 26 and over; as well as for those people whose volunteering is supported by their employer."
"We will need corporate sponsorship to ensure the Awards attract as many entries as possible and to put up worthwhile prizes for the organisations that volunteers themselves represent and care deeply for," said Ms Dalton.
"And we hope that in later years other States take up the NSW initiative and that it becomes national."
The Centre for Volunteering is the peak body for more than 330,000 not-for-profit organisations in NSW.
An award ceremony will be held on December 5th – International Volunteer Day.
About The Centre for Volunteering
The Centre for Volunteering is the peak body for volunteering in NSW, promoting and supporting volunteering and community participation.The Centre runs the biggest volunteer referral service in the state. Its programs also include corporate volunteering, engaging young people through student community involvement programs (SCIP), research and policy, accredited and non-accredited training and information and communication. To find out more or to volunteer visit www.volunteering.com.au
More information
Kristin RomanisThe Centre for Volunteering
T: 9261 3600 or M: 0412 313 359