National Volunteer Week (NVW) is the largest annual celebration of volunteers and runs from Monday 17th to Sunday 23rd May 2021.
It’s a week to celebrate the awesome contributions of Australia’s almost six million volunteers!
The theme for NVW 2021 is Recognise. Reconnect. Reimagine. –
- RECOGNISE, celebrate and thank volunteers for the vital role they play in our lives.
- RECONNECT to what is important by giving our time to help others and ourselves.
- REIMAGINE how we better support volunteers and communities they help.
At Youngcare, we hope to spend this year’s National Volunteer Week doing just that – recognizing, reconnecting and reimagining. And so, here are just a few of Youngcare’s Volunteering Champtions – volunteers who go above and beyond for young people with high care needs, who spend time, energy and effort championing our cause!
Jenn
Question: How long have you been a volunteer for?
I’ve been volunteering for Youngcare for 7 years now. Since then I’ve had an absolute ball volunteering at all kinds of events! I thoroughly enjoy volunteering for Youngcare and over the years have engaged in numerous activities including being a Christmas wrapping elf, collecting donations from commuters and selling raffles tickets at beneficiary events. I highly recommend everybody to join the Red Army!
Question: Outside of Youngcare, where would we find you?
The most likely place you’ll find me is at the gym, at netball, or re-potting my flapjacks! I got one about 5 years ago and now there are about 35 of them, one is almost as tall as I am!
Kylie
Question: How long have you been a volunteer for?
Since the beginning. I clearly remember seeing a story on tv about the founder’s lovely wife, the inspiration for Youngcare, and lamenting the young people in inappropriate surrounds in aged care.
Question: What draws you to our mission at Youngcare?
The very real fact that anyone’s life can be altered at any time; that sadly there aren’t enough funds or specific facilities other than aged care for many people to be.
Layke & Marvin
Question: What draws you to our mission at Youngcare?
Marvin: As an occupational therapy student, I have learnt a lot about people with disabilities. I understand that people with disability can also live like what we all do. At the same time, it also reminds me of not giving up when I encounter any hurdles in daily life. As I know, the ultimate goal for Youngcare is to help young people with high care needs, so I would like to try my best to help them by contributing to different events held in Youngcare.
Layke: Youngcare’s mission to provide young people who are forced to be in ‘homes’ that they can’t truly call their home is an amazing goal and one that I honestly didn’t even think about until Youngcare brought it to my attention and introduced it to me. That’s when my eyes sort of opened to what a truly good cause this is!
Question: What’s the best memory you have from Volunteering
Marvin: The best memory that I have is seeing all the smiley faces of the participants in The Bolt, 2021. Although some participants have disabilities with them, their caregivers/family members helped them to achieve it by holding hand-in-hand or pushing the wheelchairs from behind! It also reminds me that everyone should be treated equally within the society, no matter whether they have any disability or not.
Layke: Volunteering for the Honky Tonk Ball and The Bolt fun run and getting to meet new interesting people whilst cheering people on the race or selling raffle tickets out to people has been a true highlight of volunteering at Youngcare.
Jessamy
Question: What draws you to our mission at Youngcare?
I saw their Christmas gift-wrapping stall at Brookside and just thought it would be a fun way to volunteer. I have now volunteered there for two Christmases and it has been amazingly fun both times! You meet so many interesting and amazing new people when you volunteer and learn new skills that you never thought you’d have (like how to gift-wrap a basketball). If you can find the time, it’s just such a rewarding thing to do.
Question: Outside of Youngcare, where would we find you?
When I’m not running around trying to fit in work and uni you’ll either find me with my hands covered in flour in the kitchen, curled up with good book, or spending time out in the bush reconnecting with nature.