It’s time to volunteer to help others
Volunteers are the life-blood of any community, and the Manawatu Volunteer Resource Centre is running a month-long campaign to coincide with National Volunteer Day on December 5.
It starts with National Volunteer Manager Day on November 5, ending on December 5.
It has asked the four mayors from the four districts of the Horizons Region — Palmerston North City Council, Manawatu, Horowhenua and Tararua District Councils — to volunteer on film as a promotional lead into the promotion.
Tararua Mayor Tracey Collis came to the Lindauer Studio on Saturday to volunteer as a studio host for visitors to the centre.
Her knowledge of Lindauer, the studio and the Artist in Residence programme fascinated visitors from the Southern North Island Motorhome Association which made its base at the Woodville Racecourse over Labour Weekend.
The other mayors are undertaking other activities in their own districts.
The promotion gives anyone and everyone the opportunity to volunteer — doing anything, from walking the neighbour’s dog, weeding a garden to sorting donated goods or reading to a companion, through to driving patients to treatments or teaching former refugees English.
All of these activities qualify if the end result is for the greater good, given of yourself in time and effort to someone else who may be in need.
“All you need to do is undertake an hour of activity between 5 November 2017 (International Volunteer Managers Day) and 5 December 2017 (International Volunteer Day),” Centre Manager Norelle Ward says.
“Take a photo of yourself doing it, and post it and a brief description of your activity to our Facebook page.
“You can also send your details to us and we will upload these for you.
Email info@vrcmanawatu.org.nz with: • Your name, phone number, description of activity and appropriate hashtags.
Tag your photo with #volunteerdare2017 and then your district: #tararua
If the activity is for an organisation, tag the organisation, too.
Every hour you volunteer at a different activity) gives you a chance to enter.
Winners will be randomly drawn on 7 December 2017.
There will be four overall winners, one from each district.
They will receive a gift and have lunch with their local mayor.
There will be 16 runners-up, four from each district.
They will also join their local mayor for lunch, along with the overall winner from their district.
Winners will be notified by Facebook, and if possible via email or phone.
If no response is received within 48 hours the winner(s) will be redrawn.