Volunteering Central Coast (VCC) held a celebration at Norah Head Lighthouse Reserve last week to celebrate International Volunteer Day (IVD) on December 5 and recognise this year’s National Volunteer Week Central Coast winner, Tony Ward.
He commenced volunteering at Wayside Chapel in the 1980s and was also President of his local primary school P&C committee where he organised logistics for environmental workshops for many years.
Ward had a stroke on Australia Day 2016, losing his speech and his ability to read and write.
Despite this he volunteered at the Norah Head Lighthouse Reserve as soon as he was fit enough to walk.
He lives at Toukley and walks 3km to the Lighthouse Reserve every Tuesday and Friday to volunteer.
He also gives time to the Norah Head Coast Care Volunteers weeding and replanting native plants on Bush Street Reserve, the Norah Head Cemetery and the Jenny Dixon Beach Reserve.
Volunteering Central Coast also commemorated its35th year of service supporting volunteering on the Central Coast.
It was established in 1986, with the receipt of Federal funding awarded by then Federal Member for Robertson Barry Cohen.
VCC’s first Chairperson was Penny Sharpe, who remained involved with VCC for many years.
The service has broadened to include several different volunteer-led services such as Experienced Hands and Time Banking and has continued to provide the Community Visitors’ Scheme since its inception 30 years ago.
VCC continues to support volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations to celebrate their efforts, to share their values, and to promote their work among our communities.
The small charitable organisation and has consistently risen to the challenge of government funding priorities and ideologies, keeping the value that volunteers bring to our lives at the centre of Volunteering Central Coast’s activities.
The volunteer referral service for individuals and local not-for-profit organisations is now established as a social enterprise, in response to all levels of government redirecting funding programs that previously supported thise activity.
Volunteering is at the centre of Australia’s national identity, with 5.8 million Australians – or 31 per cent of the population – engaging in formal volunteering in recent years.
On the Central Coast 46,000 people formally volunteer (designated roles that are formally recruited to) locally every year.
Many more people are helping out their local communities on an informal or spontaneous basis, lending a hand at school fetes, the sausage sizzle at the local community sports club or helping out a neighbour by mowing their lawn or giving them a lift to the shops
Volunteering Central Coast often supports people to find volunteering roles that are able to meet their Centrelink mutual obligations through formal volunteering.
“I love being able to introduce the benefits of volunteering to people who may have never considered volunteering before,” VCC CEO Fiona Morrison said.
“A lot of people have volunteered without considering it formal volunteering; it’s just a part of being helpful in their local neighbourhood and they have so many skills and experience to bring to the workplace.”
Staff at VCC are always looking for new and different ways for people to volunteer to respond to the needs of community organisations looking for volunteers and for the general public wanting to volunteer.
You can volunteer for as little as 10 minutes a day or many hours a week, for one organisation or several – it’s up to you, and VCC can help you to find the right role for you.
Source:
Media release, Dec 5
Volunteering Central Coast
a big thank you to the CEO Fiona Morrison who 4years ago took the leader ship and turned this organisation around to the succes it is today. truly, a remarkable achievement.