Outstanding Volunteers shine at Southern Sydney NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards Volunteers from across the Southern Sydney region were today recognised for their outstanding contribution to volunteering in NSW at a special ceremony in Gymea. The NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards is an annual event run by The Centre for Volunteering and is...
Local volunteering is the thread that binds communities and makes them strong In a fragile and turbulent world, volunteers are active in every major shock and stress situation experienced by communities – from earthquakes and flooding to climate change and local conflicts. Often working behind the scenes, they are the thread that binds communities together,...
The majority of employees care about how their organisation impacts society and communities. They want to see visible signs of commitment and understand how this makes a difference. Corporate volunteering programs can be very powerful examples of this commitment. It’s a close run race when deciding who gets the most out of corporate volunteering; community...
The National Volunteering Conference 2018, was held at the International Convention Centre, Sydney, from 20-22 June 2018. Hosted by Volunteering Australia, and supported by Territory peak partner Volunteering and Contact ACT, the overall theme for the Conference, attended by more than 650 delegates, was ignite, invigorate and inspire. The range of topics covered over the...
Tell 25 year-old Ben Matthews that young people are shy about volunteering their time to help others and he will quickly tell you how wrong you are. Ben is an enrolled nurse from Sydney’s northern beaches, where he also gives countless hours of his time each week mentoring young students in schools, keeping our beaches...
For Emma Belenus you can’t put a price on the feeling she gets from volunteering. Emma established the Artscape Garden about three years ago in a community housing development in suburban Newcastle as a way to encourage greater engagement, participation and social interaction between the local residents. With the help of the residents, there are...
Back in 2011, a small group of recently retired blokes decided to put the skills they’d learnt over a life time to good use – they formed the Dural Men’s Shed. Seven years on the Dural Men’s Shed has more than 100 members and they devote their time to mentoring and developing skills for young...
‘Our state’s top volunteer award winners from the past decade were honoured at a special event at NSW Government House on Monday 21 May, in what was hailed as our very own Volunteering Hall of Fame. About 40 of the past NSW Volunteer of the Year Award winners attended the event hosted by His Excellency...
Why did you decide to volunteer? In the past, I have studied and have a keen interest in art. Volunteering at the Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) has reignited that passion. Why did you choose this particular role? I saw it as an opportunity to make the gallery experience as welcoming as possible. Many of...
Why did you decide to volunteer? The main reason I decided to volunteer is I miss my Mum and Dad. Since they died a few years ago, leaving a big hole in my heart, I have no older person to visit as now I am the senior person in the family. I am not lonely...
Why did you decide to volunteer? They say that payment is all part of the joy. Well, I have been paid in some wonderful ways over the years that I have been a volunteer. And there is nothing greater than a warm smile or the wag of a tail from a dog to make you...
Why did you decide to volunteer? My parents migrated to Australia during the 1970s. They instilled the idea of giving back when you can, a belief that also resonates strongly with my religious faith. I became a volunteer when I turned 18. I have worked as a volunteer at the Starlight Foundation since 1997. Why...