VOLUNTEERING Coffs Harbour presented the Connecting For Life volunteer expo on Monday 6 February at the Cavanbah Centre as part of Seniors Week 2023.

The purpose of the expo was first to garner interest in volunteering overall and then to get the message out to the seniors that the options for volunteering are manifold.

Advertise with News of The Area today.
It’s worth it for your business.
Message us.
Phone us – (02) 4981 8882.
Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au

With 21 organisations exhibiting at the expo, there was a smorgasbord of opportunities for the seniors to consider when choosing to give their time to help others.

City of Coffs Harbour councillor Tony Judge, a volunteer Lifeline North Coast Ambassador, spoke on the value that volunteers get from volunteering.

He highlighted the new friendships, the sense of belonging and fulfilment that comes from being a volunteer.

He also spoke of the joy of being a beginner and learning a new set of skills and how important that is as you age.

“I urge people considering volunteering to try it out and not be discouraged if the first experience does not work,” Tony told NOTA.

“There are many opportunities, and everyone has to find what’s right for them.”

The final words of his speech echoed the iconic Nike advertisement; “just do it!” he said.

Ruth Dorward is like the poster girl for senior volunteering in Coffs Harbour, having built a weekly schedule of different roles.

“I specifically choose to do different types of volunteer work because it keeps my interest up, I enjoy the variety,” Ruth told News Of The Area.

Ruth volunteers at six different places.

Her week starts at the Westpac Helicopter Op Shop serving customers and sorting the donations, which she said is “a lot of fun”.

At the Neighbourhood Centre she works for Wesley Mission where she helps people complete their applications for food vouchers, as well as reception duties, helping people find what they are looking for in the Centre.

“Also in the Community Village I work for the Coffs Harbour Family History Society.

“I work in the room as a monitor, helping people with their research and have recently become the Society’s treasurer,” she said.

Ruth has recently joined the Australian Decorative & Fine Arts Society (ADFAS), a nationwide organisation who recently set up a Coffs Harbour branch.

On Sunday afternoons, Ruth works at the Cartoon Gallery on front of house duties, manning the shop and talking with visitors.

“Volunteering can be so rewarding,” said Ruth, who recommends taking a leaf out of her book and creating yourself a suite of volunteer roles.

“Volunteering grounds you and gives you a purpose,” she said.

Ari Herson, who hosted the OzHarvest stand at the Volunteer Expo, told Anna Joy the following day, “I just wanted to thank you for including OzHarvest in the expo.

“I think it was quite successful as we received a lot of interest from a number of suitable people.

“It also allowed connections with other agencies which could prove quite useful.”

The volunteer groups present were: Boambee East Community Centre, Coffs Harbour Uniting Church, Coffs Harbour Neighbourhood Centre, Coffs Coast Volunteers, Community Visitors Scheme, Linked To Life, Heartbeat City Mission, Justice Advocacy Services, Lifeline North Coast, Marine Rescue NSW Coffs Harbour, Tursa, Waratah Respite Centre, U3A, 2 Air FM, St Vincent de Paul, Lifehouse Care, Rotary Club of Coffs Harbour, Coffs Harbour Lions Club, Red Cross, OzHarvest and The National Cartoon Gallery.

Volunteering Coffs Harbour runs out of Coffs Harbour Neighbourhood Centre.

To contact them email volunteeringcoffs@chnc.com.au or phone 02 6648 3663.

By Andrea FERRARI