“You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.”
~Winston Churchill
In the hills today as we celebrate the gorgeous volunteers at Wahroonga and Centenary House.
Our Tuesdays and Wednesdays are made better at Centenary House with the presence of Deb. The staff praise Deb’s efforts and her contribution to the centre continuously meets the needs of the members. Deb loves a chat and shares some wonderful conversations with the members whilst always putting their needs first. Bonus…she completes fabulous duties in the kitchen as Simon’s aide!
Emily is fairly new to the Rise volunteering team and helps out on Tuesdays at Centenary House whilst she is completing her studies. Her enthusiasm to learn all the duties and activities at the centre is exceptional. Emily is very comfortable fitting in and participating with staff members and other volunteer. Rise commends Emily on giving her valued time to want to help in the community at such a young age.
With nearly 4 years as a Rise volunteer under her belt, Linda is a kind and gracious lady who assists at Centenary House on Mondays and Wednesdays, anywhere she is needed. With a wonderful record of continual attendance, here is a lady who enjoys volunteering so much, she is known to belt out a tune or two, and a little ‘whistle while she works’!
After retiring from being a support worker for many years with Rise, Chris became a volunteer and now she and Margaret make an unbeatable pair at Wahroonga.
With their contagious smiles, they both bring joy to the centre every Wednesday and take turns in assisting with the Opals group outings each fortnight. They are both happy and eager to fill any shifts that may pop up.
And…as you can see…they love getting into the spirit of our theme days!
Hands on’ is the way to describe Caroline! Completing weekly, or sometimes twice a week, shifts, Caroline is happy to go wherever and do whatever is required. She’s been known to think nothing of taking the electric lawn mower to the grass if she feels it is too long, so the clients can enjoy sitting under the beautiful tree.
She is always on the lookout on the local Market Place app, for items to help create the wonderful theme days that Wahroonga holds for their clients. Occasionally, Caroline also helps with the swimming group.
Peter has been with Wahroonga for 5 years and drives the weekly shopping bus. He keeps the clients amused with his fabulous sense of humour. A handyman, Peter has also helped at the centre with odd jobs over the years as well as stepping in when needed as a driver for the centre.
A volunteer at Peter Anderton 2 days a week, David has made a great impression on the clients and staff in the relatively short time he’s been with Rise. He is always putting his hand up to help where needed, outside of his regular stint at Peter Anderton.
David has been known to assist Peter in taking out the men’s outing group, Men on the Move, to enjoy wonderful adventures, far and wide.
The Wahroonga theme days, bring out the best in Wendy and she always gives 100%. During her 2 days a week at the centre, she manages to keep amusing everyone with her amazing sense of humour.
With her extremely caring nature, Wendy is a fantastic help with the clients. She absolutely loves her days at the centre, enjoying the company of the beautiful clients
Tea anyone? As a volunteer with the Leisure Focus craft group for around 5 years, Mavis has made over 1,500 cups of tea!
"I just like to help people, especially these ladies. They always need their cups of tea.” - Mavis
Volunteering at Centenary House for almost 7 years, Flo loves the relationships she’s developed.
"I thoroughly enjoy my days spent at Centenary, especially the clients and other staff members. I'm sincere when I say that I believe the relationships I have developed, have really made me feel like we are all one big family here." - Florence
One of Centenary House’s hardest working volunteers, Rosina assists with the OPALS on their outings as well as in the centre on Fridays. She has been known to keep on working like an ‘ever ready bunny’ and needs to be reminded to take a break!
Rosina always lends a hand with tasks such as client transport, washing up, activities, and even prepares food in the kitchen when cook is not there.
She also helps with counting money and is such a pro. You should see how fast she can count small coins!
She is a super volunteer!