The Neighbourhood Centre celebrates its loyal volunteers | Photos
The Neighbourhood Centre celebrates its loyal volunteers | Photos
GIFT GIVING: Kids from Jenny's Kindergarten made a wall hanging for The Neighbourhood Centre volunteers. Photo: CHRIS SEABROOK 120518cvolday2
SPECIAL GIFT: Some of the volunteers being presented with the wall hanging. Photo: CHRIS SEABROOK 120518cvolday1
DANCING: Children performed two songs for the volunteers. Photo: CHRIS SEABROOK 120518cvolday3
THE Neighbourhood Centre knows that, without volunteers, it would be nearly impossible to deliver a quality service to the Bathurst community.
That’s why on International Volunteers Day, all the volunteers at the organisation were invited to attend a celebratory morning tea.
Communication and volunteer engagement person, Rebecca Wilson, said that The Neighbourhood Centre had also reached out to other community organisation to encourage them to celebrate their volunteers.
“Bathurst has a very strong culture of giving through volunteers,” she said.
“The Neighbourhood Centre couldn’t deliver all of its services without the volunteers.”
As part of the celebration, children from Jenny’s Kindergarten visited the centre to perform two songs and present a gift.
Their wall hanging had artistic contributions from each child, along with sentences about how they or their families contribute to the community.
One child drew her mother, who works in children’s services, and painted over her picture because she is an unseen helper in the community.
The Neighbourhood Centre also formally acknowledged some of its most dedicated volunteers, Margaret Smith (29 years), Rita Kellett (18 years) and Janette Finnell (five years).
Mayor Graeme Hanger, who made an appearance at the event, was proud to say that the volunteers present stretched themselves right across the community.
“I look around here and I see people who are involved in The Neighbourhood Centre, but there’s not one person here who doesn’t volunteer elsewhere,” he said.
International Volunteers Day was celebrated across the globe on Wednesday, with organisations embracing this years theme: Volunteers build resilient communities.