Time to celebrate our volunteers

By Frank Neill

A week where the thousands of northern and western suburbs volunteers are recognised will be celebrated next month.

National Volunteer Week will be celebrated from 18 to 24 June this year.

The Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector Priyanca Radhakrishnan has launched The Big Shout-out – a new campaign for June to recognise volunteers.

“We all know people who generously give their time, energy and expertise to causes they believe in,” she says.

“The Big Shout Out will be about recognising and thanking those volunteers doing what may sometimes seem like thankless tasks.

“The reality is that they’re the backbone of our society.

“The Big Shout Out is an excellent opportunity to show how much we value our volunteers,” Minister Radhakrishnan says.

A new campaign this year, The Big Shout Out is encouraging people to give volunteers a shout-out on social media or to shout them a treat.

“New Zealand is a nation of volunteers,” the Big Shout Out website says.