Volunteer Services Newsletter - Ed.1

Volunteer Newsletter Welcome to the new
Newsletter from
First Quarter Volunteer Services at
Southern Cross Care
ISSUE NO.1 | JANUARY 2019 (WA) Inc.

This is a quarterly
newsletter for volunteers
which will be released in
January, April, July and
October.

In this issue:

− Our annual Volunteer
Appreciation Event

− Site Volunteer
Appreciation Tea

− Macro-changes in
Volunteering

− New things within
Volunteer Services

− Training and Induction

Our annual Volunteer Appreciation Event

On Thursday 29th November, we got together at the
Riverside Woodbridge Cafe overlooking the Swan River
and paid tribute to SCC’s 200 selfless volunteers who
generously give their time to volunteer at our various sites.

Our volunteers perform a variety of roles including
religious care (our clergy from different denominations),
pastoral care and social visits that go a long way to
alleviating the loneliness that so often besets elderly
people.

We also have volunteer bus drivers, people who make pet
visits happen, and others who assist the occupational
therapy staff with various activities for our clients.

Our oldest volunteer is 94 years of age, and our youngest
is 13.

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ISSUE NO.1 | JANUARY 2019

Volunteer Spotlight

Ashwini Sekar has volunteered for 10 years at
Joseph Cooke House in a variety of roles.

What is significant about Ashwini is that she is also one
of our paid staff, who returns during her out-of-hours’
time to volunteer.

The largest concentration of We also had Tony and Hanny and everyone enjoyed a
volunteers is in residential Kamps (right), a husband and scrumptious breakfast and
care, with a majority wife team who have live music in a wonderful
volunteering at Jeremiah volunteered at Margaret setting.
Donovan House (JDH), Hubrey House for over 15
though we now have years, assisting with the Congratulations to all of
volunteers coming to help us chapel arrangements, volunteers for their
in our Respite Centres and amongst other things. Clearly dedication and hard work.
more recently in Home Care. they enjoy each other’s
company, as well as
The event was also an volunteering.
opportunity to recognise
some of our long-serving We also acknowledged Rev.
volunteers, such as Margaret Keith Elvish (below) who has
Cook (below), who recently been involved with religious
reached her 10-year care at JDH for the past 15
anniversary at Jeremiah years. He is the Anglican
Donovan House. priest of the Parish of
Forrestfield and leads our
She assists with the hymn- regular Anglican Church
singing at the facility. Music is service at JDH. His musical
especially powerful in skill enriches his volunteering
connecting our residents with too.
spiritual resources that
steady them, and Margaret Errol Turner, the CEO of
has helped in this valuable Southern Cross Care (WA)
work over the past 10 years. Inc. handed the medallions to
our long-service volunteers

ISSUE NO.1 | JANUARY 2019

Site Volunteer Macro-changes in necessarily see themselves in
Appreciation Tea – Volunteering terms of labels such as
Frank Prendergast ‘volunteer’. They see
House There are moments when we themselves as responding to
wish everything would stay a worthy cause to help other
Frank Prendergast House the same just for a while, so people to navigate a broken
held its own site Volunteer that we can find our bearings world.
Appreciation Tea on 5 again in a rapidly changing
December 2018. During the environment. The truth, it We have much to learn, of
event, Dorothee Gevers (our seems, is that we might have course, about how to interact
Occupational Therapist, fewer of those moments than with a willing, though
third from the left) shared we hope – especially if we differently-positioned,
the following poem to wish to stay engaged in our generation but we will still
celebrate the volunteers world. need the involvement of an
who work there. active and passionate cohort
While everything around us is of participants, even if it is
A TRIBUTE TO VOLUNTEERS altering, we might not only for shorter bursts of
(Author Unknown) imagine that volunteering energy.
could change much at all. But
Valuable is the work you do. the reality is that New things within
Outstanding is how you volunteering, too, is changing. Volunteer Services
always come through. The pattern we have
Loyal, sincere and full of employed well for many As we look ahead, there are
good cheer. years has been to build for a few things that might
Untiring in your efforts loyalty; in other words, we interest you that were shared
throughout the year. build a team of volunteers at the company Volunteer
Notable are the contributions who will be with us for 15 to Appreciation Event recently.
you make. 20 years. While there is
Trustworthy in every project nothing wrong with longevity (1) All our volunteers will be
you take. in volunteering, it would seem receiving badges identical to
Eager to reach your every that the trend now is more the staff name badges. This
goal. towards cause-based or not only identifies volunteers
Effective in the way you fulfill project-based enthusiasm in at their place of service (for
your role. this sector. safety reasons), but it also
Ready with a smile like a signals that we consider
shining star. A recent study carried out in volunteers to be part of the
Special and wonderful – that’s the United States (2017 staff team. So, in keeping
what you are. Millennial Impact Report) with that sentiment – just as
revealed that the next all our staff proudly will wear
generation of potential their badges, we are asking
volunteers still carry a all our volunteers to do the
concern for our world, but same.
their method of engagement
will be different. Millennials (2) We want to recruit more
(otherwise known as volunteers, and so we want
Generation Y) are people to embark on a drive next
born roughly between 1981 year for ‘each one to reach
and 1996. They understand one’. It simply encourages
the power of organisation, each of our existing
and social media is a ready volunteers to find one other
tool to facilitate such
organisation, but they do not

ISSUE NO.1 | JANUARY 2019

person to become a Training and Induction New Starter Induction Dates
volunteer with us. 1. Wednesday, 23rd January 2019
On 18 September, 2018 it was 2. Wednesday 6th February 2019
(3) We want to identify wonderful to see a number of 3. Wednesday 20th February 2019
Volunteer Champions who Southern Cross Care (WA) 4. Wednesday 6th March 2019
are existing volunteers who Inc. volunteers attending a 5. Wednesday 20th March 2019
will have an eye to making free training session at 6. Wednesday 3rd April 2019
new volunteers fit right in at People Who Care in Guildford
their particular site. Finally, from Ian Simms and
The training session was Chelsea Farquhar in Volunteer
(4) We want to press on with called Living Well with Services, we would like to wish
our unique group of Dementia, presented by you all the best for a happy and
volunteers called Volunteer Michelle Harris-Allsop. We healthy 2019.
Pastoral Carers. Volunteer hope to offer more volunteer
Pastoral Carers receive training sessions throughout A friendly reminder
training, supervision and 2019. If you have a topic of
mentorship to help us extend interest for these sessions, Always to sign in and out of
the coverage of our Pastoral please let Chelsea know on the volunteer sign-in
Care Service throughout the volunteerenquiries@scross book/folder at the entrance
company. wa.org.au or 08 9269 6855. of the facility.

(5) From this year, all site- Recently, our regular If you have received this
based volunteer appreciation volunteer induction merged newsletter but no longer wish to
events will be held during with the new employees’ volunteer, please let us know.
Volunteer Week in May of induction to become the New Contact details to the left.
each year, and the company Starter Induction. It is held
volunteer appreciation event fortnightly on Wednesdays
(e.g. Volunteer Appreciation from 9am – 12pm at a
Breakfast) will be held at the community centre close to
end of each year. We trust Central Office. If you have
that, together, these events will not attended a New Starter
succeed in letting our Induction yet (or you would
volunteers know that we value like to refresh) please
them immensely. contact Chelsea on the
details above to book in.