7.7.08

Whanganui Volunteer Centre pics



We spent the week in the middle of the shopping mall and had a wonderful time with lots of people signing up.

Pictured is Grace Phillips and Murray Neilson, our dedicated volunteers.

3.7.08

Volunteer Western Bay of Plenty - pics from VAW
















Rachael Walker Mount Maunganui Community Constable, Beverley Rudd and David Wall, a volunteer at Tauranga Police Information Centre. David was presented with a certificate acknowledging several years contribution. Lots of Volunteers in the background.
















Charlene ( Centre Volunteer), Alastair (staff), Elizabeth (staff), Jenny ( Centre Volunteer ) Daniel (Board Member) In front Judy (Board Member) & Beverley Rudd, Manager, Volunteer WBOP


Many thanks to WeekEnd Sun newspaper for permission to use their photos.

1.7.08

Images from Volunteering Canterbury Volunteer Awards Evening

Volunteering Canterbury Chair Jan Harrison with Hon. Ruth Dyson, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, who presented the Awards.

Mairehe Louise Tankersley with Aunty Kiwa Hutchen offered a karakia on behalf of the Upoko of Te Runaka ki Otautahi o Kai Tahu.

Hon. Ruth Dyson with Awardees - The "Men's Newsletter Wrap' of Alzheimers Canterbury is an enthusiastic and dedicated group of men who spend a morning every three months folding and addressing over one thousand local and national newsletters.

The warm and appreciative audience at the Awards.

Thanks to Emeralds and Greenstone who provided enjoyable entertainment at the Awards.

16.6.08

ANZ National: Community Week

During the week of 16-20 June 2007, ANZ National is marking Community Week, a week of activities to demonstrate our community values in action and showcase our people making a difference in our communities. The week coincides with National Volunteer Awareness Week in New Zealand, which celebrates the efforts of volunteers.

During Community Week we’ll be raising the profile of the range of initiatives that sit under the community umbrella, including Volunteering, the Staff Foundation and our financial knowledge programmes.

Our challenge for Community Week is to contribute as many community volunteer hours as we can. Last year we clocked up 600 hours in the week.

Supriya Rathod
Community Programmes Manager
Corporate Affairs
ANZ National

13.6.08

Volunteer for St John this Volunteer Awareness Week

During Volunteer Awareness Week, St John would love to hear from anyone interested in volunteering for St John says St John Chief Executive Jaimes Wood.

Volunteer Awareness Week runs from Sunday 15 to Saturday 21 June 2008.The Week is co-ordinated by Volunteering New Zealand, an association of organisations with a strong commitment to volunteering.

“St John highly values the contribution of our volunteers. It is thanks to our volunteers that we are able to provide the level of service we currently provide to communities throughout New Zealand,” Mr Wood says. Volunteers contribute to our full range of services including Ambulance, Archives, Area Committees, Caring Callers, Event Services, Fellowship Groups, St John Friends of the Emergency Department, Health Shuttles, Hospitaller’s Clubs and the St John Youth Programme. We also have volunteers providing services in Administration and Support. St John in New Zealand has 13,000 members, of whom just over 7000 are volunteers. Of our approximately 3100 ambulance officers, 2300 are volunteers.

“We are always interested in hearing from new volunteers or potential volunteers, including people with no previous experience of ambulance, health or community services or of volunteering. We provide training and support,” Mr Wood says. “Our volunteers come from a wide range of backgrounds, including homemakers, accountants, farmers, orchardists, doctors, lawyers, teachers, hospitality staff, plumbers and electricians – the list is virtually endless.”

Volunteering brings many benefits on top of giving to the community and helping people. Volunteering for St John opens doors to new skills and experiences, and personal growth and development. Individuals can train in a wide variety of disciplines, increase their confidence and gain wider work experience.

Anyone interested in volunteering for St John may go to www.stjohn.org.nzor phone 0800 ST JOHN (78 5646)

GIsborne Volunteer Centre

Gisborne Volunteer Centre will have a display and drop in centre in the CBD is promote Volunteer Awareness Week. There will also be a newspaper spread and radio promotions.

IHC volunteers to be acknowledged by their Friends

The IHC volunteering team will give all volunteers a certificate from the people they volunteer (befriend) with.

There will be a small gathering in each of 30 areas throughout New Zealand, and the volunteers are being asked to bring along a friend. The People with Intellectual disabilities can then present the certificates to their volunteers. The certificates are gold in colour and our theme is Volunteers Are Like Gold.

Volunteeryng Canterbury Awareness Week Display


Photo of a member of Christchurch Central Rotaract - this group chalked our "V" logo's around the central city on Saturday
Below is our display:



11.6.08

A WELL DESERVED DAY OFF FOR NEW ZEALAND RED CROSS VOLUNTEERS

New Zealand Red Cross is celebrating Volunteer Awareness Week (15-21 June) by giving as many of our volunteers as possible a well deserved day off.

On Tuesday 17 June New Zealand Red Cross staff across the country will be stepping out from behind their desks to take on some of the roles normally filled by our valuable volunteers.

New Zealand Red Cross National Manager for Volunteers Jim Wilson says the initiative is a chance to reinforce links between staff and volunteers and to help staff understand some of the issues that volunteers face while also reinforcing the important message that we are all one team.

“Volunteer Awareness Week is an appropriate time to recognise the valuable work our volunteers do 365 days a year and acknowledge the fact that without them, the work of New Zealand Red Cross would not be possible,” says Mr Wilson.

Some of the voluntary roles New Zealand Red Cross staff will fill on Tuesday 17 June include serving breakfast as part of the Red Cross Breakfast in Schools programme, helping to deliver a hot lunch with meals on wheels, working behind the counter in Red Cross Shops and assisting with hospital transport and meet and greet services.

New Zealand Red Cross has over 26,000 volunteers registered but it always welcomes more committed people who want to make a difference.

The act of volunteering is highly regarded within the International Red Cross community with voluntary service recognised as one of the seven fundamental principles of the global organisation.

Wellington Prisons

The Hon Phil Goff is hosting an afternoon in the Grand hall at Parliament Buildings for over 200 Volunteers in Wellington Prisons. This is to honour prison volunteers and thank them for the valuable contribution they make to inmates and to society in general.

The function will be held the week after Volunteer Awareness Week on Thursday 26th of June between 3 and 5pm.

Chris Wilson
Acting Volunteer Coordinator

Auckland events ...

Various community group members of Volunteering Auckland are getting involved in Volunteer Awareness Week 2008 to celebrate their own volunteers.

Arthritis NZ [Auckland area] - afternoon tea for their volunteers
Auckland International Airport [Blue Coats] - Team Leader meeting , morning tea with a "big" cake
Auckland Museum - meeting up with the volunteers at MOTAT for lunch and a trip on the tram
Auckland Zoo - display table in the Zoo foyer highlighting various volunteering opportunities available at the Zoo.
Hibiscus Coast Community Centre - display in Orewa Library, volunteer lunch
Manuaku City Council - Community Board events e.g. Manurewa Community Board dinner for their local volunteers
North Shore Community Coordinators - Devonshire tea for North Shore's CAB Bureau volunteers
North Shore Hospice - Poem published in local paper thanking their many volunteers
Presbyterian Support Northern - lunch at Valentines; volunteers receiving award trophies
Selwyn Village - "Volunteers are our Stars" lunch with staff dressing up as stars such as Marilyn Munroe, Shirley Temple, Judy Garland, etc.
Special Olympics - volunteers will receive certificates at club level
Sport Waitakere - acknowledging and collating the current volunteer involvement of their staff; staff volunteering for one-day community projects throughout week
Starship Childrens Hospital - morning tea sponsored by Chevron/Caltex
Volunteering Auckland - "pot luck"dinner for their volunteers showcasing the various ethnic groups who volunteer
Volunteer Stroke Scheme for Communication Impaored Stroke People - afternoon tea with Alison Marshall [VolunteerNZ Chair] as their guest speaker

What are you doing? Contact Volunteering Auckland 09-377 7887 or vaceo@volunteeringauckland.org.nz

Volunteering Auckland events ...





Volunteering Auckland is organising one-day community projects to be undertaken by teams from various corporate businesses and educational institutes throughout greater Auckland during Volunteer Awareness Week 2008.



Confirmed community groups with projects are [at 11 June 2008]:

Selwyn Village Resthome & Hospital - Activitiy Days [3 teams]

Everill Orr Village Resthome & Hospital - Play Days

Ambury Park for Riding Therapy - Gardening, clean up of horse arena/stalls

Newton Reserve, Waiheke Island - Planting, Weeding, Winter Mulching

Blind & Low Vision Education Centre - Weedathon for the Senses Garden

Communicare CMA - Annual Indoor Games Day




Confirmed Businesses/Institutes with teams are [at 11 June 2008]:

ANZ Bank

National Bank

HSBC

University of Auckland - English Language Academy

If you have a team available or a community project within the greater Auckland area ... and are interested in getting involved call us - 09 377 7887 or email vaservices@volunteeringauckland.org.nz















"Pampering" our Volunteers

Hosted by Parent Help and The Body Shop, Volunteering Wellington is expressing its appreciation with a "pampering" evening for our volunteers.


Claire Laurenson
Volunteer Co-ordinator
Parent Help Wellington

10.6.08

Waikato region events

Volunteer Excellence Awards -

Volunteering Waikato's annual Excellence Awards event will be held on Wednesday 18 June at Le Grand Boutique Hotel, and there will be 210 people attending - it is a very popular event.

There will be a display in the Hamilton Library.

Volunteering Waikato's general manager, Heather Kemp, will also take part in two radio interviews. One will focus on disability and volunteering and the second will be about volunteering in general.

Sports Minister to highlight volunteers at Tactix/Pulse netball clash

Hon Clayton Cosgrove, Minister of Sports, will show off SPARC's special Volunteer Awareness Week promotion at the Canterbury Tactix V Wellington Pulse netball game in Christchurch on Sunday afternoon 15 June. This will be one of the first events in the Awareness Week.

On display will be some of the special billboards that have been erected throughout New Zealand and the Minister will play the radio commercial being used during the week. He will also give special thanks to the team of volunteers assisting at the netball venue.