Winston Churchill famously said: ‘We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.’
Volunteering Australia is the peak body for volunteers and they emailed me the other day, to let me know about a new online hub they’ve just launched to support volunteering.
This is important because the volunteering sector is still struggling with the impact of Covid-19.
Volunteering Australia’s research shows that nearly three quarters (72%) of volunteer programs are not coming back, even as Covid restrictions are lifting.
Out of 600 respondents, over half said their organisations needed more volunteers and four out of 10 are finding it difficult to re-engage or recruit volunteers.
These are concerning numbers because numbers of volunteers had been declining in recent years anyway.
We are all time poor – 40% of us say we feel rushed. Being busy limits the free time we are able to give to others.
From 2010 to 2019, there was a 7% decline in the number of volunteers. Although the six million volunteers who volunteered in 2019 contributed almost 600 million hours to the community, this is still a 20% decrease from 2014.
With Covid, we’ve had a long period of social distancing and isolation – volunteering is a terrific way to re-connect with our communities.
The Volunteering Queensland website lists over 200 volunteer opportunities within 10km of Logan. The Salvos are looking for retail assistants in Logan Central and Vinnies are looking for retail assistants in Marsden and Loganlea.
The YMCA School’s Breakfast Program is looking for volunteers in Woodridge, Marsden, Boronia Heights and other places. They aim to provide children who miss out on breakfast with a free nutritious breakfast so they can focus better on their school work. What a great program!
Thank you to everyone who volunteers to make our community better. Our lives are all the richer because of your selflessness.
