Lydiard Street welcomes volunteer centre

NOT-for-profit the Ballarat Foundation as announced plans to redevelop is Lydiard Street base at Chatham House into a Centre for Volunteering and Charity.

Ballarat Foundation chair Wayne Weaire joined Volunteering Ballarat coordinator Jess Frost-Camilleri in revealing the $2.4 million project.

“The Ballarat Centre for Volunteering and Charity is innovative project which we believe can be central to a community-led response to the COVID19 pandemic,” Mr Weaire said.

“It will be a place where volunteers can come and seek further information, further training and support that Jess and the team can offer them.”

An additional $1.74 million is required to make the re-development a reality and Mr Weaire said the Foundation is seeking support from State and Federal Government and the community.

“We are calling on support from all levels of government as a way of bolstering a grassroots response to these most difficult of times,” he said.

“It’s been two years of designing, thinking, listening to the community and the next step now is to go to the community.”

“We’re hoping that the government will come on-board because they certainly see the value in volunteering … we’re as close to shovel ready as we could possibly be.”

Volunteering Ballarat coordinator Jess Frost-Camilleri said investing in volunteering projects and training is vital to not only those in need, but also the volunteers themselves.

“We know that mental health, physical health and wellbeing are really attributed to assisting within the community,” she said.

“We’re looking to re-engage volunteers, we’re looking to assist them and find things that interest them to help volunteering organisations to bring their projects to life.”