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Make a difference – Be a volunteer
Puppy fun for family
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27/3/10 E-28 STATE COL: C M Y K
TAKE ACTION - give your time and valuable resources
Would you like to volunteer some time to assist in fun and rewarding activities to help support fellow South Australians?
Alzheimers Australia SA (AASA) is leading the way in offering services and support programs for carers and people with dementia. We rely upon volunteers to assist us in meeting these needs. AASA is an organisation that offers valuable support to our clients, whilst rewarding our volunteers with enormous satisfaction that their contributions make a “REAL” difference.
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If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or want to find-out more, contact us on 08 8372 2100
We are looking for volunteers to help support our clients in a range of activities, enabling more opportunities and community inclusion for people with disabilities. For more information or to become a valuable member of our dynamic team contact us on (08) 8347 2664 or visit www.scosa.expr3ss.com
A society committed to reducing the impact of dementia
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❏ Inquiries: Volunteering SA & NT, ph 8221 7177 or online at www.volunteeringsa.org.au
The City of Holdfast Bay runs a comprehensive cutting edge volunteer program that offers opportunities across the spectrum for anyone with some free time to spare. Whether you have specific skills or would like to learn a new skill, we can use your enthusiasm, caring and positive outlook to help make Holdfast Bay an even better place to live. Our team of almost 600 volunteers assists with Community Transport, The Bay Discovery Centre, Environmental Projects, History Centre, Home Maintenance, Library Services and many more. We have immediate opportunities for volunteers in the following areas: Community Transport – Community Bus Drivers needed. Bus licence preferred. Also, Community Bus Support volunteers to assist passengers. LifeLinks – Providing friendship for individuals living in supported residential facilities. Library Home Services – Providing library items and social contact for residents unable to leave their homes. History Centre – Researching and preserving Holdfast Bay’s nationally recognised history. Full training and support is given in all areas. If you’re interested and would like to know more, call Volunteering Development Manager Mike Feszczak for a chat on 8229 9981 or email him at mfeszczak@holdfast.sa.gov.au
We would like to sincerely thank all our volunteers for their valuable, ongoing support and generous contributions of time and skills to residents and clients of ECH. Volunteers add value to our programs and enhance the wellbeing of our residents in so many ways, including lifestyle activities, fundraising and administrative support, publications distribution, bus driving, one-on-one visits with residents and so much more. If you have a few hours spare a week and would like to join our volunteer team, particularly bus drivers with LR Licence, please contact: Community Relations Phone: (08) 8407 5151 or email: events@ech.asn.au
www.ech.asn.au
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Help us make a difference to the lives of older South Australians today!
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A ACH Group is now looking for volunteers to help us improve the lives of older South Australians. A All our volunteers are crucial to helping older people live good lives in our community. We’d love to hear from you if you can spare some time to help with various volunteer activities like transport, social h ssupport and holiday companionship. Our volunteers are carefully selected and receive ongoing training and support. You’ll have lots of fun, make new friends and keep active too. tr So if you want to make a difference to the lives of others, as well as your own, S contact us to find out how to become an ACH Group volunteer today! c For more information call (08) 8349 3515. F
Volunteer opportunities available now!
www.ach.org.au w The Advertiser
careerone.com.au
Saturday, March 27, 2010
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PUB: ADV EMPLOYMENT
HELP ON A LEASH: Guide dog pup Ora – training to be an invaluable mobility aid and companion.
CHB27-3/3075894
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Volunteering can offer path to job EOPLE looking for paid work, especially young people, are often frustrated in their search because employers are looking for those with experience. In order to gain experience, they must first put their learning into practice and find work. Volunteering SA & NT believes volunteering is a great way to test knowledge and add points to a resume. Volunteering is not only an indication of good citizenship but as the work can often involve more varied and complex activities, the public and the private sectors now recognise that a job candidate’s volunteer work should be factored into the evaluation of their skills, training and experience. It can also be a determining factor when competing for jobs, especially if the qualifications of candidates are similar. Volunteering for a not-for-profit organisation can be rigorous, demanding and provide real job experience with solid training. It can also provide opportunities to test the person’s interests and discover whether or not they are really suited to a particular field of work before they commit to years of study and significant expenditure on course fees. For voluntary work to provide meaningful experience and training, positions must have job descriptions, volunteers must be properly interviewed and matched for placements, with clear and appropriate supervision, and support given from a trained volunteer manager. Individuals who have perhaps lost a job or are looking for work can use voluntary work to help them upskill. Retirees can provide vast expertise to not-forprofit organisations, by sharing their skills and knowledge and acting as mentors for others. While volunteering cannot guarantee the offer of a paid job, the networking connections made in the course of volunteer work – by meeting people from many walks of life and in various sectors of the community – can often lead to a recommendation for a paid position.
O Trafford felt like a nervous mother on her child’s first day of school on the first day she took RSB guide dog pup Justin to puppy training. ‘‘It was the start of an exciting journey for me, my husband, John, and Justin,’’ she said. More than a year later and now training their second RSB guide dog pup, Ora, Jo and John enjoy being puppy educators for the Royal Society for the Blind (RSB). ‘‘I saw a flyer requesting volunteer puppy educators to care for and help train RSB guide dog pups from eight weeks to one year old and I immediately loved the whole concept,’’ she said. Recently retired, Jo teaches a teddybear-making class at Burnside Community Centre. She takes Ora along and occasionally Ora goes to work with John, a business sales consultant. ‘‘The first time you take the pup out with you is daunting, but they learn so quickly that they have to sit quietly while you complete your errands,’’ she said. RSB puppy educators come from a variety of backgrounds, from stay-athome parents, to full-time employees, to retirees. ‘‘We have made such great friends through volunteering for the RSB and the sense of achievement as you watch the pups grow is wonderful,’’ she said. ‘‘Both the pups fitted in to our daily life very well. ‘‘They seem to know that its their role in life to become an invaluable mobility aid and companion for someone who has a vision impairment and they are with you all the time.’’ ❏ Inquiries: Celeste at the RSB Guide Dog Service, ph 8261 4121.
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