The Star: June 15, 2017

The 2 Star [Edition datE]
Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi
Thursday June 15 2017 39
NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK - JUNE 19-25
Time
and
talent
More than 300 volunteers give tens of
thousands of hours of their time, skills and
compassion to Nurse Maude each and every
year, working across the whole organisation.
Their philosophy is to enhance the quality
of patient care and services and they are
an integral part of Nurse Maude, working
in the Nurse Maude Hospice, hospital,
administration, across the hospice shops
and in the gardens of Nurse Maude.
For Nurse Maude it means being able
to offer a lot more than nursing care,
particularly in the hospice and hospital.
Over the past year Nurse Maude has also
had volunteers in the community, providing
those caring for family members much
needed respite care in their own homes.
Caring for a family member with complex
needs, including those with dementia, in
your own home is a full-on proposition.
Nurse Maude recognises that family can
find it almost impossible to get someone to
come into their home they can rely on and
who is trained and supported to provide the
respite care that allows them to take a short
break.
Sue Bramwell, Nurse Maude’s GM
Marketing, says the contribution of Nurse
Maude’s volunteers is significant.
“To volunteer time and talent to make a
difference in the lives of others is no small
thing,” says Bramwell. “We, and those we
care for, are incredibly fortunate that our
volunteers are willing to give up what is
really a very precious commodity, their
time, to support our work.”
Volunteering a chance to share
This year’s theme for National Volunteer
Week is: “Live, laugh, share – Volunteer”, or,
“Kia ringa hora: Me mahi tuao” – a positive
message celebrating what volunteers bring to
their communities.
Volunteering Canterbury is proud of the way
that the region’s people get out in the community
and volunteer “in the bad times – and the notso-bad!”,
Volunteering Canterbury’s outreach
and marketing manager Glenda Martin says.
“We see it every day in every sector across the
community. Volunteering is something that we
just do well.”
As Glenda points out, in every city there will
be people who get out and do something for
another person. It could be as simple as helping
a neighbour who may be unwell or looking after
a pet while a friend is on holiday.
“That’s the informality of volunteering,” she
says.
“On top of that there is the more formal
volunteering, for a common good, and that is
as much in demand as ever in and around our
region. Volunteers pack and distribute 3000 bags
of fruit and vegetables throughout Christchurch
each week, for example.
“Whether we acknowledge it or not, there are
deprived areas in our city – 65 per cent of those
fruit and vegetable packs are going in to those
areas. Alongside that sit community lunches
– serving up wholesome meals prepared by
volunteers and often with gifted produce.”
Red Cross humanitarian services manager
Carol Ball says a lot of that organisation’s
programmes couldn’t run without volunteers.
“They are almost the lifeblood of the
organisation,” she says.
Programmes in which Red Cross volunteers
provide services include Meals on Wheels, for
which they give more than two hours a week,
We sincerely thank our
wonderful volunteers for
their valuable contribution
to Orana Wildlife Park.
and community transport, for which volunteers
work almost a full day, either once a week or
once a fortnight.
Carol says there are close to 1000 Red Cross
volunteers in Christchurch, who continue
volunteering for many years.
“This can be up to 20, 40 even up to 60 years.
We recently gave two 30-year presentations –
that’s not uncommon.”
Volunteering with one of Volunteering
Canterbury’s member organisations is just the
‘tip of the iceberg’ of volunteering happening in
the region, Glenda says. Even so, it equates to
the equivalent of 149 full-time volunteers in the
community on any given day of the year. And,
using the minimum wage as a base rate, this
Huge thanks
to our volunteers!
is a monetarised contribution to the region of
approximately $4.7 million.
“It’s what it looks like at the other end – the
actual impact of the volunteering, that makes
our work so humbling. Last year, 36,000 people
in our region were impacted by volunteers of
our member organisations.
“We all have skills that can help others.
Volunteering is good for you, your community
and for the social development of our city.
It helps build the social fabric that keeps us
connected and engaged.”
For more information on volunteering
opportunities in Canterbury, contact
Volunteering Canterbury www.volcan.org.nz
or phone 366-2442.
It’s Volunteer Awareness Week and New Zealand Red Cross wants
to thank all our amazing volunteers. The programmes we deliver to
vulnerable people in New Zealand communities are diverse and
far-reaching – and we simply couldn’t do it without you!
Want to join us? Volunteering in your community is fun and rewarding.
There are many ways you can help:
Refugee support
Youth programmes
Meals on Wheels
Disaster response
Community
Transport
Events
Shops
For more info:
phone 0800 RED CROSS
go to redcross.org.nz
follow us on Facebook
National Volunteer Week
18-24 June 2017
We are currently seeking
enthusiastic people
to join our
volunteer team,
for a variety
of roles
including
guiding
visitors and
driving our
Safari Shuttle
(particularly
on weekends).
If you would
like to join
our team,
please contact
us to obtain
an application
pack.
Phone 359 7109 extn 819
volunteers@oranawildlifepark.co.nz
www.oranawildlifepark.co.nz