News

Changing face of volunteering

Tue, 04 Jun 2019 05:44:00

More young people are choosing to lend their time and skills to Vision Australia Mildura, helping to grow the organisation’s vital volunteer workforce.

The local provider of services for people who are blind or have low vision has recently welcomed several young people to its team of 90 volunteers.
Coordinator of volunteers Debra Pearce said Vision Australia’s staff, volunteers and clients all benefit from the energy, ideas and enthusiasm that new people bring.
“It’s great to see so many younger people showing an interest in volunteering,” Ms Pearce said.
“This generation seems very community-minded, proactive, and keen to give back.
“We’re lucky to have lots of experienced volunteers, with young people coming up through the ranks. Our more experienced volunteers have really taken the next generation under their wing and have been very supportive with training and mentoring.
“It’s important to have volunteers of all ages and from all backgrounds because we have diverse clients and deliver people-centred assistance – it’s not a one-size-fits-all service.”
Ms Pearce said they would all be recognised at Vision Australia’s annual volunteer celebration on Thursday evening.
“It’s such an honour to celebrate not only those who have been serving for 15 or 20 years, but also those being recognised for their first year, because you never know where it will lead,” she said.
“They could make a huge impact in a short time, or it could be the start of a lifelong dedication to volunteering.”
Two of the newest recruits are Jessica Cornish and Matthew Bennett, who joined shortly after moving up from Melbourne last year.
The couple dedicates a few hours a week to their volunteer roles at Vision Australia’s local radio station 107.5FM, presenting three different news and entertainment programs.
“We both work full time and we’re in a band, but we still have plenty of time that we want to use effectively and usefully,” Matthew, 27, said.

Pictured: Some of Vision Australia’s younger volunteers (L–R) Jesse Slade, Matthew Bennett, Jessica Cornish and Lachlan Niemann.