Te Hua o te Mahi Tahi. The benefit of working together.
Te Hua o te Mahi Tahi. The benefit of working together.
Volunteers are often the unsung heroes in a community. These last few months though, many volunteer actions have come under the spotlight and our response to stopping Covid-19 in its tracks would not have been possible without the unwavering kindness and actions of volunteer support.
There aren’t any statistics, as yet anyway, for the number of volunteer hours put in during the Covid-19 lockdown period, or the weeks following. But, anecdotally we know it was significant. People who delivered groceries for those unable to go themselves, those who phoned vulnerable people to check they were ok, those who offered up car parks and accommodation for our healthcare workers plus those who continued to volunteer in roles they already had. The hours put in haven’t been counted except in the hearts and minds of those who were at the receiving end.
In many ways, from 27 March when we went into lockdown we were all volunteers. We all acted with kindness and did what was asked to look after those more vulnerable than ourselves. While the consequences of lockdown are hitting many of us hard and will do for some time, we can stand proud that we all did what was necessary to keep our tangata whenua safe.
So now it’s time to take a breath and celebrate and to thank those who went above and beyond. We hope that you are treated with the kindness you show others. National Volunteer Week celebrates the collective contribution of over 1 million volunteers. That’s approximately 1 in 5 New Zealanders who are active volunteers and who deliver around 159 million hours of formal volunteer labour each year. What’s harder to measure is the amount of joy they get out of doing it and how much they contribute to making other people’s lives easier.
With the initial danger of Covid-19 passed and as we start to move forward, a new response is required. Lockdown has left us hurting. We must continue to come together in kindness, to find our strength, and make sure we endure together. Volunteers will be needed to continue to support our most vulnerable, but through volunteering many volunteers themselves will find support and community.
Join us this National Volunteer Week to celebrate how our communities are stronger when working together.
Volunteers help shape the world we want to live in, now and into the future
You can get involved this week too. Take a look at our current volunteering opportunities to help make a difference in your community. Or if you are a non-profit organisation and need some helpers, you can find out how to add your volunteer listings here. For corporates, take a look at our employee volunteering programme to see how we can help your team help the community. Otherwise, feel free to contact us. We’d love to hear from you.
