Let’s thank our many caring volunteers
This week is National Volunteer Week and organisations that rely on the willing hands of volunteers are extending a big thank you.
It is important to recognise volunteering and the place it has in keeping our communities strong and healthy. Volunteering is good for you, your community and for the social development of the country.
It helps build the social fabric that keeps us connected and engaged in our world.
We all have skills that can help others. This year’s theme for National Volunteers Week is "Live, laugh, share -Volunteer" or "Kia ringa hora: Me mahi tu¯ao."
This positive message is about celebrating what volunteers bring to their communities.
The benefits of being a volunteer are well-documented... better health and the feel-good endorphins that volunteering releases volunteering can help with job prospects
and there are other health benefits such as extending longevity and reducing depression in many people.
As poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, ‘It is one of the beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely help another without helping himself.’
National Volunteer Week is a perfect opportunity to start volunteering or, if you already volunteer, it’s a great time to invite a friend to join you.
The positive message for the Week celebrates the joy that volunteers bring to their communities.
It also reminds us that volunteers reap the reward of a happier, more engaged life because they feel connected to their communities.
Whether you are a volunteer dog walker, companion, English tutor, music teacher, street appeal collector, sports team coach or any other volunteer – you are what makes our country work and National Volunteers Day is about celebrating the passion and effort that you contribute to society.
Volunteering gives you the opportunity to...
Give others the benefit of your life experience
Use your skills somewhere you are interested in Learn new skills and gain experience Connect to your community Meet new people Add colour to your life Brighten your day and have fun! It’s fun,too. Volunteers speak about the fun and camaraderie of being involved and of the community pride and
connectedness felt when part of a community event or organisation.
Volunteers are creating positive change on many fronts in community healthcare, sports and recreation, heritage and arts, environmental protection and advocacy, disaster relief,international development, and volunteer firefighting.
They provide emotional and practical support, information, financial help, referral to support services, advocacy for victims’ rights,and help victims and their families find strength, hope and safety in the face of grief and trauma.
The volunteer workforce are more often than not, humble and modest in their roles so it is important to stop and celebrate the work of volunteers and the inspiration they bring to others.
Source: nationalvolunteerweek.nz