National Volunteers Week 2021

National Volunteers Week is a time we recognise all the hard work our volunteers do to make our community a great place to live. RangeCare currently has over 180 volunteers. Our volunteers enable us to provide our clients which such a diverse range selection of services.

We interviewed a few of our volunteers from different roles who best showcase the amazing value all of our volunteers create.

The Life Story Writing Group: Beth & Lucy

Beth's voluntary work not only includes facilitating our Life Story group, but she also comes in and plays music once a month at our Day Respite Centres.

We asked Beth what important qualities someone volunteering in aged care sector should have. She said, "I think you have to be respectful. Very, very respectful. I think you need to be a good listener, because if you're lucky enough to listen, and if you're quiet enough to listen, there's pearls of wisdom that come to you and we're very blessed to have those."

RangeCare client Lucy has worked closely with Beth, as she attends the the Life Story group every month since 2012. Lucy heard about the group while she'd been having trouble writing her memoirs to pass onto her children. Lucy was incredibly grateful to Beth for all her hard work and ability to make writing so much easier. "Beth's so helpful and friendly, and a really lovely person. Thank you Beth!"

Since joining the group and with the help of our volunteers including Beth, Lucy has had two articles published.

Beth is on the left, Lucy is on the right.

The Day Respite Centre: Karen & Denise

Our Day Respite Centres are places where our clients can come and socialise, have fun and get out of the house. They are also a great place for creating friendships, as Karen and Denise have.

Karen has been volunteering every Friday at one of our centre for the past two years and absolutely loves it. She said she had some time away from volunteering and really missed it, "I actually had some time out and missed coming, I really missed coming and seeing the guys and the interaction".

Denise has been coming to the centre for four years, but in the time Karen has spent volunteering there they've formed a real bond. Denise said Karen is marvellous, and when we asked her to describe Karen further she said "Karen is a lovely lady, who volunteers on a Friday. She's well liked by us all and loves coming to RangeCare".

It's wonderful to see both our clients and volunteers feeling fulfilled in the meaningful connections they create.

Karen is on the left, Denise is on the right.

The Transport Service: Cathy & Maureen

Our transport service allows clients to be driven to and from appointments. Cathy is one of our volunteer drivers, but this isn't her first time volunteering. Cathy has volunteered in many community organisations to give back to her community. Because of her wealth of experience, we asked her how she found volunteering with RangeCare clients. "They're beautiful people, they really are, and appreciative of what we do for them" Cathy said. She continued that even though you shouldn't have favourites, she can't help but be excited when she sees certain clients like Maureen booked in for a transport service.

Maureen uses the service to get and from doctors appointments. We asked her about Cathy, and no surprise, Maureen had nothing but wonderful things to say. "She's just a lovely person. She's lovely to talk to and doesn't mind what she does for you!" beamed Maureen.

We are so lucky to have people that care as much as Cathy does!

Cathy on is on the left, Maureen is on the right.

The RangeCare Op Shop: Jim

If you didn't already know, we have a RangeCare Op Shop located near the lily ponds in Mapleton. The op shop is staffed almost entirely by volunteers like Jim, who help with sorting donations, organising stock and running the shop. When asked how he liked his role, Jim said "I really like working with the people". We also asked what Jim thinks are important qualities for volunteers in the Op Shop, and he answered "the ability to listen to the customer, be advised by experienced work mates, and to create empathy with the clients. That's what you have to do".

Our Op Shop is non stop work between sorting donations and assisting customers. Volunteers like Jim make this shop completely possible!

Jim outside our op shop!

From all of us at RangeCare, we want to extend a huge thank you to every volunteer at our organisation. No matter how many hours you contribute, every role is important to be able to help our clients live independently and happily. Happy National Volunteers Week!