Chance this week to recognise all our volunteers
Wednesday May 13, 2009
Volunteers were out in force at the Cobar Show on the weekend, including those from the State Emergency Service, St John Ambulance, Rural Fire Service, and of course, the Cobar Show Society.
Volunteers are an integral part of the Cobar community, and this week their contributions will be formally recognised with National Volunteer Week being celebrated around the country.
Volunteering Australia CEO Cary Pedicini said this week is an opportunity to thank and acknowledge the efforts of volunteers in all areas of the community.
“There are millions of volunteers who everyday make amazing contributions in their communities, but often go unnoticed, in areas including sport, welfare, education, conservation, environment and the arts,” Mr Pedicini said.
“We are lucky to have more than 5.4 million Australians ready and willing to help in their communities.
“Demand is growing for voluntary services, particularly in the welfare sector as demand for welfare grows, exacerbated by the global financial crisis,” he said.
Mr Pedicini said Volunteering Australia is also using the week to call on the state and federal governments to continue support for volunteers.
“It is important to remember that volunteers are not free.
“Volunteers relieve governments of the costs of services that they may have to provide if the volunteers were not so generous, but this is often not reflected in the funding provided to recruit, train and support volunteers,” he said.
“This places huge demands on not-for-profit organisations which not only have to cope with the growing demand for their services, but have to recruit and train volunteers.”
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