Charles Chambers Court residents put on their blue suede shoes

Residents of Mission Australia’s Charles Chambers Court in Sydney’s inner city celebrated the life and music of Elvis Presley this week, attending a themed lunch in honour of the King of Rock 'n' Roll.

Jill Bicknell, Mission Australia’s Aged Care Operations Manager said all the residents attended the lunch and had a fantastic time.

“Staff, residents and our volunteers really enjoyed the day, but none more so than one of our residents who performed his Elvis impression for over an hour.

“The same resident normally frequents the local hotel by 10am each morning, however on Tuesday he stayed for the event and entertained everyone. He had the time of his life,” said Jill.

A big thank you to the seven volunteers from PwC who kindly provided lunch on the day and also gave away seven lucky door prizes.

Charles Chambers Court, Mission Australia’s award-winning service for Sydney’s aged homeless, provides high-quality accommodation and personal care, enabling an independent lifestyle.

Mission Australia is currently building a new facility in nearby Redfern, which aims to address the increasing need for permanent accommodation for the city’s aged homeless.

Five years of unfailing support

In any given week about 1,000 people volunteer their time to help Mission Australia. They serve food, teach, sell clothes in our Big Heart op shops and some, like Margaret Foley, provide valuable administrative support.

Margaret is one of our most reliable volunteers. She has been coming into Mission Australia’s National Office in Sydney every week for the past five years, quietly and diligently performing her volunteer duties.

Margaret supports our Bequest Team, which raises funds that enable Mission Australia to support people in need across the nation.

When Margaret retired from a career as a food technologist she was determined to use her time to support a good cause.

“I wanted to get involved in something that would bring me fulfilment,” Margaret said. “At the time a relative worked at Mission Australia, so I asked if there was some way I could be of use.”

In her role Margaret provides administrative support to our Bequest Team, writing envelopes and helping to organise events such as our annual information day for solicitors.

“I do get the sense of achievement from completing tasks and of being useful,” she said. “The team does an important job, but I really think that the whole organisation is very important and that’s what keeps me coming back.

“I would definitely encourage people to volunteer – it’s very worthwhile.”

Mission Australia’s Estate and Relationships Coordinator, Pat Brennan, has worked alongside Margaret for many years and is still impressed by the volunteer’s professionalism.

“Margaret is extremely reliable and very focused on what she’s doing,” she said. “She’s brilliant at detailed work and also helps us out at functions. She’s a fantastic addition to our team and a shining example for volunteering.”

If you would like to help transform lives (including your own), consider volunteering with Mission Australia. You can find out more on our Volunteer page.

Further reading:

• ‘Australian charities join forces to change attitudes to bequest giving’
  
• ‘Why leave a gift in your Will to Mission Australia?’
• Archive of all Mission Australia Volunteering news

Celebrating National Volunteer Week

This National Volunteer Week Mission Australia is celebrating the vital contribution made by our wonderful volunteers.

According to Volunteering Australia, each year more than five million people across the nation donate their time and talents to community organisations like Mission Australia. Aussie volunteers contribute more than 700 million hours of community service to so many areas of society, including community health care, heritage and arts, environment conservation, emergency services, education, sports and social justice.

Here in any given week at Mission Australia around 1,000 people from the wider community, corporate world and Christian groups volunteer an average of three hours of their time to help us transform lives.

Our volunteers vary in ages, backgrounds and beliefs, but the one thing they have in common is the desire to make a difference in their communities by performing a huge variety of roles. They provide gardening skills, undertake administrative tasks, teach yoga, tutor new arrivals, mentor parents, support people with their studies and sell items in our Big Heart op shops – and that’s just to name a few roles.

Their dedication and enthusiasm displayed by these selfless individuals never fails to inspire.

The theme for National Volunteer Week 2011 is ‘Inspiring The Volunteer In You’, and the aim is to promote the benefits of donating your time and talents to a good cause.

Volunteering Australia’s National Survey of Volunteering Issues 2010 showed that volunteering provided the majority of people surveyed with an increased sense of belonging to their community as well as opportunities to use their skills, to make a difference to the organisation’s work and to learn and develop.

The study also revealed that volunteering offered pathways to paid employment for a significant proportion of people – in fact, one third of survey respondents.

It also seems that volunteering can benefit your health. According to Mentally Healthy WA studies have found that 61 per cent of people who volunteer at least five times a year say it helps them feel less stressed.

But don’t take only my word for it – hear what our volunteers have to say. Throughout the week we’ll be featuring stories about people whose lives have been enhanced by their volunteer work. After all, they say it’s better to give than receive!

If you’d like to help transform lives (including your own), consider volunteering with Mission Australia – you can find out more on our Volunteer page.

A big heartfelt thanks to all of our amazing volunteers and wishing you all a Happy National Volunteering Week!

Regards,

Sharnelle Magee
National Volunteer Manager