Workplace volunteering recognised at 2021 Corporate Volunteer of the Year Awards

Volunteering excellence across the workplace was in the spotlight today as we celebrated the efforts of teams and individuals giving their time to help others as part of corporate volunteering programs.

Finalists for the Corporate Volunteer of the Year Awards are announced each year as part of the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards.

They will attend the State Ceremony for the 2021 NSW Volunteer of the Year in December, where they will join hundreds of other volunteers from across NSW for the announcement of the NSW Volunteer of the Year across the corporate and other categories.

The finalists for the 2021 NSW Corporate Volunteer of the Year are:

Salesforce – for volunteering with Good360 Australia

Since July 2020, the Salesforce Corporate Volunteering team has donated 1812 hours across 74 days by 302 individual volunteers. Every year Salesforce employees are allocated seven paid days of volunteer time off (VTO). Employees are encouraged to use their VTO in ways that are personal to them, from volunteering at a school, or in virtual mentoring to supporting organisations with technical and professional expertise. A significant number of their team have committed to volunteering regularly with Good360 at its ReDistribution Centre, packing Empower Packs for people and communities in need.

Aristocrat Technologies – for volunteering with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance

Employees from Aristocrat have provided the equivalent of $2.5 million over 13 years of volunteering to the Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Aristocrat funds CPA’s Accessible Gym, Sports and Exercise Programs, which have supported thousands of people living with a disability to achieve their personal best in sport. Aristocrat also support CPA’s Aquatic and Hydrotherapy Programs; 10-week autism swim safety programs; learn to swim programs; sports camp pool-based activities and triathlon training as well as many fundraising events, and the Annual Children’s Christmas Party. During COVID-19 Aristocrat helped fund Telepractice Starter Kits for CPA families.

Deloitte Impact Day – for volunteering with the National Trust

The Deloitte Technology, Optimisation, Transformation team produced a short video clip on what it means to have a diverse and inclusive workplace for the National Trust to use at all staff and volunteer induction programs. The project helped the Deloitte team learn about the value of heritage in NSW and provided insight into the complexity of volunteering organisations. It will help the National Trust share its values of being an independent, trustworthy, inclusive and inspirational organisation that advocates for the conservation of all heritage, not just from a European perspective.

Kandis Von Holdt – for volunteering with Primary Ethics

Kandis is a Primary Ethics teacher and teacher co-ordinator through the University of Newcastle, and has taught over 80 students. She conducts classes during her lunch break and is released from work to teach a further two classes a week. She is also a wildlife carer and takes on orphaned possums to rehabilitate them to be released back to their natural habitat. She is the current volunteer secretary for her community and runs community programs such as Clean Up Australia Day and new neighbour meet and greet days in the park.

The NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards are an annual program run by The Centre for Volunteering and supported by principal partners the NSW Department of Communities and Justice and ClubsNSW.