The Star: August 29, 2019
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GLENDA<br />
MARTIN<br />
C ommunity inf luencer<br />
4<br />
LIVING<br />
LIFE<br />
COMMUNITY<br />
INFLUENCER<br />
<strong>The</strong> thread of a community interconnects with the<br />
people who need assistance and the people who<br />
give assistance. Glenda Martin of Volunteering<br />
Canterbury is a mainstay in helping to organise<br />
individuals and groups from the volunteer<br />
perspective. Glenda shares her insight into the<br />
value of volunteering.<br />
VOLUNTEERING IS MY<br />
PERSONAL MISSION<br />
Taking up a part-time outreach role with<br />
Volunteering Canterbury in 2012 provided the<br />
opportunity to really get to know the community<br />
sector first-hand, speaking to volunteer engaging<br />
organisations as well as groups interested<br />
in finding out how they could get involved.<br />
Putting together projects for groups to explore<br />
the community from a service angle has been<br />
an enriching aspect as the original part-time<br />
role developed, with highlights being a large<br />
group of Year 1s who planted at a central<br />
‘Tranquillity Garden’ and more recently a group<br />
of Australasian holiday camp operators in<br />
Christchurch for their national conference who<br />
wanted an opportunity to get involved in and<br />
around the Red Zone.<br />
BACKGROUND<br />
Soup kitchens in London and New York are where<br />
Glenda Martin recalls her volunteering started<br />
and then, on return to New Zealand, it was the<br />
roles that often sit hand in hand with parenting –<br />
managing sports teams, fundraising for the local<br />
toy library and lots of sizzling sausages! <strong>The</strong>se<br />
days Glenda is a mentor with the <strong>2019</strong> Mitre<br />
10 Community of the Year charity, Pillars, runs<br />
a book club at Christchurch Men’s Prison, and<br />
sits on two not-for-profit organisation Boards.<br />
Recently she has chosen to spend annual leave in<br />
Laos and Bangladesh teaching English. Glenda<br />
says she have been privileged to live and work in<br />
many parts of the world over the years and so to<br />
have an opportunity to give back in some of those<br />
areas seems a great way to retain connections and<br />
make new ones! “I’m also very mindful that if we<br />
were to look down from space on this planet, we<br />
call Earth, there are no borders! I’m satisfied that<br />
there is no conflict between being a kiwi and a<br />
global citizen!”<br />
THE IMPACT ON THE<br />
COMMUNITY<br />
Volunteers in Canterbury make a difference on<br />
the lives of 36,000 people each year – while at the<br />
same time enjoying benefits in their own lives<br />
particularly around making new connections<br />
and picking up or sharing skills. This equates to<br />
a dollar value of around $4.7m – a good chunk<br />
of the estimated $3.6b contributed by volunteers<br />
nationally across New Zealand.<br />
THE MISSION OF<br />
VOLUNTEERING<br />
CANTERBURY<br />
Volunteering Canterbury believes that anyone<br />
can volunteer and that the experience should<br />
be worthwhile and satisfying. With over 200<br />
roles ‘on their books’ waiting for a volunteer,<br />
they are well placed to assist people to find<br />
those experiences! For more than 30 years,<br />
Volunteering Canterbury has provided<br />
assistance with volunteer recruitment, training<br />
and resources for managers of volunteers and<br />
advocating for volunteering. <strong>The</strong>se are all key<br />
roles of the 18 Volunteer Centres in New Zealand,<br />
including the one located in Christchurch.<br />
HOW TO SERVE<br />
Check out the Volunteering Canterbury database<br />
for available roles, www.volcanmatch.com and<br />
search by your interest or choose a role close<br />
by, in your local neighbourhood. No access<br />
to internet or email? Give them a call on 366-<br />
2442 and make an appointment to come and<br />
visit them at their central city location in the<br />
Christchurch Community House, 301 Tuam<br />
Street. Volunteering Canterbury is here to help<br />
you make a difference!<br />
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