Volunteering is a great way of life
Volunteering has always been a big part of life for Fiona Bryan, but until she joined Fire and Emergency New Zealand as a volunteer firefighter, it was always something she did outside of office hours.
Bryan is national executive director of the Empowerment Trust, an Upper Moutere based organisation that that aims to encourage people to develop skills for lifelong safety and confidence.
To be able to attend fires and accidents in her community, Bryan relies on the support of trust founder Cornelia Baumgartner and other members of the team to keep things ticking over in the office while she’s gone.
That’s why the Empowerment Trust is one of the organisations all around that country that has been part of our Proud Employer campaign. Stuff partnered with Fire and Emergency to recognise local businesses and organisations who support this important work with the Proud Employer mark, which acknowledges the role they play in keeping communities safe by allowing their staff to respond to an incident during working hours.
Bryan says the mark will be displayed on the trust’s website and business cards. The distinctive stylised flame is in the shape of a matau, or fishhook. which represents a responsibility to protect and serve New Zealand communities, land and property. The entwined lines represent the collaboration between nearly 1200 volunteers, their employers, and Fire and Emergency.
Since the campaign began, positive comments have been shared locally via social media about both the great work the volunteers do, and the contribution supportive employers make.
‘‘The support means that I can continue to volunteer as a firefighter, which takes me away from work, and means I can help the community in a different way than I did previously,’’ says Bryan. ‘‘I have always been a volunteer through being involved with my children’s activities – either as a team manager, fundraiser or other roles.’’ Both Bryan and Baumgartner agree that supporting the community in this way is an essential part of being based in a rural area. It is also closely aligned with the way the trust operates and what it stands for.
‘‘I work for a charity that relies on volunteers as board members and supporting programme delivery,’’ says Bryan. ‘‘Volunteering connects you to communities because you can include those who want to help in different ways from being an employee. Volunteering helps build connections with people you might otherwise have not had a relationship with, and in turn they also support you when needed.’’
❚ This article was commissioned in response to a commercial partnership. We have produced it independently, to the same standards applied to the rest of our journalism.