fbpx Skip to content

Archives

Gippsland Lakes Complete Health (GLCH) will celebrate National Volunteer Week tomorrow by treating their volunteers to lunch in recognition of the awesome work they do.

“Each year National Volunteer Week provides us with the opportunity to celebrate the hard work and generosity of our volunteers, and to let them know how much we value their commitment to our organisation and clients,” said Mr Chris Tipa, Executive Manager of Aged and Disability Services at GLCH.

In the last 12 months GLCH’s meals on wheels volunteers have been incredibly busy delivering 19,156 hot and cold meals to 253 clients in Bairnsdale, Paynesville, Lakes Entrance and surrounding towns.  Our volunteer transport team have driven 115 clients to non-urgent medical appointments recording a total distance of 14,714 kilometres and 2,251 volunteer hours; and our Planned Activity Group volunteers in Lakes Entrance have also cooked up a storm preparing 2,500 meals for hungry group participants totaling 3,775 volunteer hours.

“Our volunteers are an invaluable asset to GLCH, our clients and our community.  They help make our services stronger and we are truly grateful for their tireless support,” explained Mr Tipa.

Last year Volunteering Australia introduced the National Volunteer Week campaign theme ‘Give Happy, Live Happy’.  This campaign was so successful that they have decided to continue to celebrate and explore the research that shows volunteers live happier and healthier lives in 2016.

Associate Professor Thomas Nielsen from the University of Canberra is quoted as saying “One of the healthiest things we can do is to volunteer. Volunteering leads to healthier, happier, and longer lives. Sustainable wellbeing comes not from money or consumerism, but from having meaningful happiness in our lives. Studies show intimate links between generosity and our immune systems. We now know that volunteering is not just good for our physical health, but for our psychological and emotional health too.”

“Not only do volunteers help make the lives of everyone around them happier, they too are happier as a result,” added Mr Tipa. “Just a few hours of volunteer work makes a difference in happiness and mood.  At GLCH you can volunteer as much or as little time as you want, depending on your role. Once a week, once a fortnight, once a month – whatever suits the individual.  You can also learn new skills and gain valuable experience in a wide range of areas, plus it’s a great way to meet new people who share your interests.”

GLCH have a number of different volunteering opportunities available from their five locations in East Gippsland.  To find out more about these opportunities, head to www.glch.org.au/get-involved/volunteer/ or contact the volunteer coordinator.