Volunteering Australia is celebrating 30 years of National Volunteer Week (NVW) starting today and finishing May 26. It is the largest celebration of volunteers in the country and acknowledges the contribution of Australia's six million volunteers.
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Volunteering Australia defines volunteering as "time willingly given for the common good and without financial gain." Volunteering is relevant to every aspect of the Australian society, including the arts, education & training, emergency services, sports, environment, health, community welfare, aged care and disability services.
As well as providing a great way to 'give back' and help your community, volunteering can also be an excellent opportunity to pursue or explore things that interest you outside the workplace. Volunteering does not just make others feel good; it makes the volunteer feel that they are valued in the community.
There are seemingly endless opportunities for volunteers on the Mid North Coast. If you have an interest in native Australian wildlife then volunteering to be a WIRES Carer is for you. WIRES is NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service Inc. and is focused on the rescue and rehabilitation of injured, sick or orphaned wildlife. To find out more, go to www.wires.org.au.
If you think being behind the scenes in the performing and visual arts may be for you, then contact Bowraville Theatre. This beautifully restored 'art-deco' theatre is entirely volunteer run and managed, offering a broad range of roles with real job skills. Volunteer at the box office, in the cafe or be on the events/marketing team, or you might like to research and write the Grants, there are many positions. Contact them on Facebook or bowravilletheatre@bigpond.com.
Have you ever considered being involved in broadcasting? Nambucca Valley Radio 2NVR 105.9FM is a volunteer-run organisation with a range of fun volunteer positions from being an 'on air' radio presenter to getting amongst the technical side of radio and even station management. Visit www.2NVR.org.au to find out more.
Legacy is a charity providing services to Australian families suffering after the injury or death of a family member during or after their defence force service. Legacy on the Mid North Coast is very active and always looking for more volunteers to help with their amazing work. Contact them on midnorthcoast@sydney-legacy.com.au.
I have come into contact with a number of people who have found great satisfaction as a volunteer with Community Transport. They get great satisfaction through helping in the community everyday and the work they do is becoming increasingly important with many recipients of their services stating they don't know how they would have got by without the wonderful service that Community Transport provides. To find out more, call them on 1300 812 504.
There are of course the wonderful organisation such as Rotary who have a number of clubs on the Mid North Coast, search for the nearest one to you at www.my.rotary.org. The region is also superbly served by the Lions Clubs of Australia. I recently did a google search of the local community projects conducted by or supported by Lions here on the Mid North Coast and the list was staggering. To find a lions club near you visit www.lionsclubs.org.au.
There are almost endless ways to volunteer and give back to this amazing community. Take the opportunity this National Volunteer Week to look for a volunteer position that is right for you. To find out more about National Volunteer Week visit www.volunteeringaustralia.org.au or register your organisations volunteer vacancies on www.volunteering.nsw.gov.au.
