{"id":87405,"date":"2024-05-17T04:52:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-16T18:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/?p=87405"},"modified":"2024-05-16T18:57:12","modified_gmt":"2024-05-16T08:57:12","slug":"celebrating-our-volunteers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/news\/celebrating-our-volunteers\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating our volunteers"},"content":{"rendered":"

SINCE returning to live in Greater Geelong 25 years ago, I’ve come to truly appreciate how there is something for everyone here.<\/p>\n

Sport is obviously a big one (Go Cats!), but there are so many other things to do and see that appeal across the board, including gigs, beaches, bushwalking, galleries, wineries and laneway cafes.<\/p>\n

This also rings true when it comes to volunteering, with something to suit different passions, schedules, skills and reasons for helping others – reflecting this year’s National Volunteer Week theme of ‘Something for Everyone’.<\/p>\n

National Volunteer Week (May 20 to May 26) is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate our incredible volunteers, and highlight the many opportunities available.<\/p>\n

I’ve been fortunate to meet with volunteers of all ages and backgrounds during my time as a councillor and through my own volunteering at organisations like Bellarine Landcare, Mannerim CFA and Bellarine Community Health.<\/p>\n

I’m always struck by their immense generosity, empathy and commitment to serving the community.<\/p>\n

Whether they’re community visitors to elderly residents, washing netball bibs, looking after stray animals, sorting through op shop donations or driving a train at the miniature railway, these community members want to make a difference and bring joy.<\/p>\n

Let’s not forget the many benefits that volunteers experience themselves by making new friends, strengthening their ties to the local community, “doing their bit” and learning new skills.<\/p>\n

And of course, that warm and fuzzy feeling of helping others can improve mental health.<\/p>\n

You can explore the roles available in our region and find out more about National Volunteer Week here: volunteeringvictoria.org.au It would be remiss of me not to plug the diverse volunteer opportunities available at the City of Greater Geelong. We have hundreds of volunteers working across a wide range of areas, including at the National Wool Museum, Potato Shed, Visitor Information Centres and neighbourhood houses.<\/p>\n

Our L2P program is always on the look out for patient and calm volunteers with a licence, who can mentor young learner drivers facing barriers getting 120 hours experience behind the wheel.<\/p>\n

L2P volunteer Andrew Cleary was instrumental in making sure our new electric L2P car became a reality, from proposing the idea to bringing together the businesses who jointly sponsor the vehicle. Andrew’s contributions are a great example of the many different ways to utilise your skills, so I encourage you to consider volunteering at the city: geelong.link\/Volunteer<\/a><\/p>\n

On behalf of Council, I thank the volunteers who make such invaluable contributions to Greater Geelong.<\/p>\n

Happy National Volunteer Week!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cr Jim Mason<\/p>\n

Bellarine Ward,<\/p>\n

City of Greater Geelong<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SINCE returning to live in Greater Geelong 25 years ago, I’ve come to truly appreciate how there is something for everyone here. Sport is obviously a big one (Go Cats!), but there are so many other things to do and see that appeal across the board, including gigs, beaches, bushwalking, galleries, wineries and laneway cafes. […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":149,"featured_media":87409,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-87405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCelebrating our volunteers - Bellarine Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/news\/celebrating-our-volunteers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Celebrating our volunteers - Bellarine Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"SINCE returning to live in Greater Geelong 25 years ago, I’ve come to truly appreciate how there is something for everyone here. 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