Teamwork banks volunteer award for Greater Charitable Foundation
December 3rd, 2020
The 250 team members from the regionally based Greater Bank have earned the 2020 NSW Corporate Volunteer Team of the Year Award, for going above and beyond to help their nine charity partners over the past 12 months.
The award was announced at a virtual ceremony for the 2020 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards today in front of more than 400 special guests, volunteers and their families, and representatives of volunteering organisations from across the state.
The NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards are an annual program run by The Centre for Volunteering to recognise the outstanding work of volunteers in every region across NSW. The awards are in their 14th year and have grown to become one of the largest celebrations of volunteering across Australia.
The Greater Charitable Foundation is the volunteer and fundraising arm of the regional financial institution the Greater Bank.
Each year, it manages between 180-250 corporate volunteers who give more than 1,000 hours of their time to its nine charity partners. Over the past decade, more than 350 Greater Bank staff have volunteered their time as part of a structure corporate volunteering program, providing financial and administrative advice and other assistance required to help their partners and their clients.
The volunteer team puts into practice the values and traditions of the community-based bank.
The team was nominated by one of its charity partners – the Cerebral Palsy Alliance. It has helped the CPA’s Hunter and Central Coast clients with support packages during drought, bushfire relief and its Early Response Therapy Program.
The volunteer team also supports the Hunter Medical Research Foundation, Ozharvest, Kids Xpress, Ronald McDonald Charities Northern NSW, the Australian Literacy & Numeracy Foundation, the University of Newcastle, Youth Off the Streets and the Children’s Hospital Foundation QLD.
The 2020 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards are supported by principal partners the NSW Department of Communities and Justice and ClubsNSW, which represents the state’s 1,400 not-for-profit clubs.
The Centre for Volunteering CEO Gemma Rygate said:
“The past 12 months have thrown up challenge after challenge for communities across the state and volunteers have continued to give their all in the face of this tremendous adversity.
“These awards are our way of saying thank you and reminding everyone across the state of the value of volunteering.
“Congratulations to our awards winners announced today and thank you to all our finalists, nominees and the volunteering community across NSW.”
NSW Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services Gareth Ward said:
“Kim Hill epitomises the selfless community spirit that shone bright throughout last year’s unprecedented bushfire season and is a very deserving recipient of this year’s Volunteer of the Year award.
“Whether they are donating their time and skills responding to natural disasters or coaching children’s sport, volunteers are part of the fabric of our communities.
“There has never been a more fitting time to recognise the enormous sacrifice our volunteers make, and no better opportunity to say thank you for the work they do.”
ClubsNSW CEO Josh Landis said:
“Without volunteers, registered clubs wouldn’t be able to accomplish all the wonderful things that they do for their local communities, so it’s a natural fit for our industry to support this incredible program.
“Well done to all the volunteers who were recognised at today’s ceremony for their extraordinary work. These people have continued to donate their time and effort to support others, despite the challenges of bushfires, drought, floods and COVID-19.
“I’m proud to represent an industry where 32,000 volunteers help to make clubs such great places.”
