National Volunteer Week

When it comes to volunteering, Rural Women members know how to pitch in. Over the years, Rural Women have been the heart beat of the local community – bringing people together through volunteering to take the lead on spring fetes, BBQs, walks, and to raise funds for local causes. What we forget to recognise are the weekly cuppas that bring people together; the little things, the spontaneous gestures, which go a long way in your neighbourhood.

Volunteering can involve an action as simple as checking in on your elderly neighbour, or sharing the responsibility of delivering kids to and from the bus stop among the local parents. Actions such as these empower small communities. They bring people closer together, binding the community more tightly into a cohesive unit.

Rural communities rely on the support that their members can lend each other. Volunteering New Zealand Chief Executive, Vanisa Dhiru, says, “It’s about making a difference where it counts. In some circumstances, a big event such as a natural disaster calls for volunteer attention, but in the day-to-day running of a community, there are a lot of ways for people to help each other out.”

“Talk to the people in your area. Just by keeping in touch with those who live around you, opportunities to offer your time to make life easier for others will present themselves. The impact of something which seems so small to you might make a huge impact for someone else.”

National Volunteer Week is co-ordinated by Volunteering New Zealand, and will take place 15-21 June 2014. Take this opportunity to thank those who make a difference in your neighbourhood. Offer a helping hand to someone who may need it. This week is about recognising the effects of volunteering in our communities, and celebrating with the volunteers around us.

The theme for National Volunteer Week this year is “Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te tangata. With your contribution and my contribution the people will live.”

For more information about National Volunteer Week 2014 and our theme, including promotional material, visit the VNZ website.

VNZ’s mission is to promote, support and advocate for volunteers. We are an association of New Zealand organisations that are committed to volunteering.