Volunteers bring community spirit to Willard Home
Enliven’s Willard Home brought its volunteers together just before Christmas to thank them all for their hard work during the year. Volunteers at the Palmerston North rest home help with all kinds of jobs, from gardening to recycling and taking the residents on outings in the van, Willard Home manager Christine Tester says. Volunteering can be a good choice for people who have retired and want to donate their time in the community, Christine says. She adds that volunteering can be done at any age. Willard Home currently has college-aged students who come and spend time with residents after school. “It’s lovely to have some nice young people around the place,” she says. At the volunteer morning tea last month, Christine spoke about the amazing jobs all the different volunteers do. There was also a musical performance by local group ‘For Folk’s Sake’. Christine says Willard Home is currently on the lookout for volunteers to help with gardening and spending one-to-one time with residents. “Residents are really keen for someone to have a chat with.” Willard Home’s community garden officially opened in late 2018 and Christine says volunteers are always welcome to help out to keep the garden functioning. Over summer there will be lettuce, tomatoes, radish, peas, beans, potatoes, berries and fruits to harvest. “We love to hear from people who can help connect us with our community,” Christine says. Enliven’s Willard Home in Palmerston North offers rest home and short-term respite care. To express your interest in volunteering at Willard Home, email support@psc.org.nz or phone 06 357 6959.