Celebrating National Volunteer Week

Volunteering can be defined as ‘time willingly given for the common good and without financial gain.’ But volunteering is so much more than that as we know.

Volunteering can give someone a sense of achievement and purpose, help them feel part of a community and better about themselves. It can help them share skills, learn new skills and create a better work-life balance. It can help reduce stress and social isolation and help them meet new people and feel more connected.

And for Cire, volunteers add a wealth of diverse experience to the Cire team, support the critical work being done to deliver programs to the community, and help build that all-important community connection.

Cire welcomes and encourages volunteers from across the Yarra Ranges community and beyond who choose to contribute their valuable skills and time to enrich their local community.

National Volunteer Week – held Monday 18 May – Sunday 24 May 2020 – is the annual celebration to acknowledge the generous contribution of volunteers across the country.

In any other year, events would be held across the country during National Volunteer Week to say thank you to the millions of Australians who volunteer their time and energy.

Despite 2020 being anything but an ordinary year so far, we feel that it is more important than ever to recognise and acknowledge (albeit from afar), the generous and continued support of Cire’s volunteers and the commitment they show to the organisation, the team and their local community.

Volunteers contribute to Cire in a number of different and important ways, including:

• facilitating and co-facilitating educational programs alongside Cire staff
• providing reception and event coordination support at the community hubs in Yarra Junction and Chirnside Park
• providing child care support at family and children’s services sites across the Yarra Ranges
• participating in gardening and conservation works, and working bees
• engaging in corporate volunteering

Daniel was our first volunteer at Chirnside Park Community Hub and he is an asset to our team. Daniel loves to set up and assist for our Bookaburra storytime and our Senior Citizens club that meet weekly at the centre. I asked Daniel what volunteering at Cire means to him and his response was:

“Volunteering at Cire means meeting new people and doing exciting jobs” – Daniel Bookaburra volunteer.

Each week at Bookaburra children aged 1-5 years enjoy listening quietly to stories, being stimulated by singing songs and being creative with an easy craft project.

“As a volunteer with this program, it is always pleasing to see the delight on the children’s faces as they interact with their parents and carers during these Bookaburra activities” – Lorraine Bookaburra volunteer.

The theme of this year’s National Volunteer Week is Changing Communities, Changing Lives.

At its core, Cire is driven by a vision to enhance the lives, capabilities and opportunities in our community, and volunteers play a key role in achieving this vision.

For being the welcoming face at a community hub and voice the phone directing community members to a course or opportunity. For setting up a meeting room for the weekly Spanish language class and leading a workshop for young people. For all of this and more, we thank you.

Click here find out more about volunteering opportunities at Cire.