Ocean Mind thank volunteers and supporters

SURF therapy not-for-profit Ocean Mind said a huge thank-you to their volunteers and program mentors at their first formal End of Season Volunteers Celebration.

Held at the Anglesea Bowls Club on Saturday evening, the event was attended by more than 50 passionate locals who have assisted with the rollout of Ocean Mind’s programs over the last calendar year.

The night of events included the presentation of five community awards as well as live music from Surf Coast band Jarosite.

The awards recipients were Sergio Conti (Stoke), David Geary (Sustainability), Matthew Benson (Connection), Kate de Beer (Empowerment) and Breanna Redden (Dedication).

Ocean Mind founder Rachael Parker said the event will become an annual occurrence based on the success of the evening.

“It was absolutely fantastic and so good to see all our mentors and program funders all in the once place.

“The night was really about bringing everyone together to thank them for their huge body of work throughout the season.

“All the volunteers went above and beyond, so it was great to celebrate that.

“The bowls club were amazing hosts; we will definitely be back there.”

Ms Parker said that another theme of the evening was impact sharing and showcasing some of the stories of the clients who are positively impacting from the programs.

“We did a bit of impact sharing on the night to just let those volunteers truly know about the positivity they are beaming on the participants.

“We know a lot of the funders and mentors can see it on the beach but might not have seen the research and findings behind it all.

“To show them the figures and the facts, really spelt out it to the volunteers and mentors to hone in on the real impacts they are having on a day to day.

“The impact goes beyond the smiles they see on the beach, it filters into the young people’s lives at home too.”

Ocean Mind will resume their programs in the September school holidays.