Better together with our volunteers – National Volunteer Week 2022
Stories | May 13, 2022
Ruth Payne has been volunteering with CBM Australia for 25 years and says it is the people that have kept her working. Joining the team in 1997, Ruth started in the now-defunct Audio Library where she kept the ‘postie’ busy sending and receiving tapes to supporters with visual impairments.
“This is a great place where I have met so many friends along the way,” Ruth says.
Ruth and more than a dozen CBM volunteers came together for a morning tea to reminisce and celebrate National Volunteer Week (NVW) held every year in May. For many of the volunteers, it was the first time they had seen each other in two years, having been kept apart by the COVID-19 pandemic. This was also an opportunity for CBM to acknowledge and celebrate their generous contribution of volunteers towards ending the cycle of poverty and disability.
Ebony Watson was one of three volunteers recognised for 15 years of service. Her passion and dedication have been honoured by CBM as well as her local council and Rotary.
Watch a message from CEO Jane Edge to CBM’s volunteers
During the pandemic, as offices closed and people switched to remote working, some of our volunteers were able to transition their support from in-person to remote.
Nambi Aravamudhachariar became a CBM volunteer in 2017, following a recommendation from a friend, who also volunteered with us. His strong computer skills have proven an incredible asset as Nambi transitioned to volunteering from his own home during the pandemic.
Volunteers support CBM in a number of ways, including helping with mail correspondence and data hygiene, translation and transcription, blogs and proofreading, and assisting on major fundraising events such as Miracles Day.
In her 25 years with CBM, Ruth Landry’s volunteer work has focused on mailing. She has personally handwritten many hundreds of Christmas cards and addressed just as many envelopes.
CBM’s volunteers come to us from many different backgrounds but they are all committed to a disability-inclusive world, embracing partnerships, adapting and pursuing excellence, and doing so with integrity and respect. They all share in strong commitment to the friends and relationships they have built with their fellow volunteers, and especially our two volunteer coordinators, Sue and Elizabeth.
“Best job ever,” says CBM volunteer Karin.
Do you have the time, ability and enthusiasm to support us and our cause? Visit our volunteer page to learn more about becoming a CBM volunteer.
https://www.cbm.org.au/stories/better-together-national-volunteer-week-2022
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