Last week was National Volunteer Week – a week for acknowledging all the time, energy, and commitment put in by volunteers across Australia.
In WA alone, 1.5 million people donated their time to over 820 different organisations, of which VisAbility is privileged to be one. According to our friends at Volunteering WA, this amounts to 398.7 million hours spent volunteering in the last year, alone! That’s a lot of hours.
This year’s National Volunteer Week theme is Connecting Communities, which we feel is very appropriate for our volunteers. We can never thank our fantastic volunteers enough for all that they do for us and our clients. As such, we wanted to take this opportunity to show our appreciation for them, and to talk a little bit about what they do here.
From volunteer drivers to volunteer audiobook narrators, there are a lot of different ways to make a difference at VisAbility. Below are just three of the amazing people who donate their time to help bring some connection to our community.
Madalen
Madalen has just started volunteering at VisAbility – in fact, we spoke to her on her very first day! Madalen used to be a speech therapist but decided not long ago that the time had come for a new adventure.
During her time working in speech therapy, Madalen had a client who had a vision impairment. When the question of what to do with her newfound free time came up, she soon found her way to volunteering with VisAbility. Madalen told us she started volunteering because she wanted to continue to support people like her previous client. Thanks Madalen!
Madalen volunteers at our cooking program, held in our Community Activity Centre. Here she helps our clients learn how to navigate the kitchen with confidence, as well as trying out new recipes with them! We look forward to having Madalen with us for her new adventure.
Taylor
Taylor has volunteered with us for nearly five years, helping to bring our audiobooks to clients.
One of the things Taylor does for us is called ‘ripping’. This is the step between the raw recording of the audio by our narrators, and the editing team getting their hands on the files. This is one of the many unseen tasks that go into creating each and every audiobook created by our team, and a crucial part of the process. Thanks Taylor!
Taylor is passionate about sound and music. She’s been singing in choirs for eleven years having joined her current choir three years ago. She’s also a talented pianist in her own right!
Taylor became a volunteer because she wanted to give back to the community and wanted to help the elderly. She does this by ensuring that, even with the loss of sight, anyone can continue to pursue their passion for reading!
Joan
Joan has been volunteering at VisAbility as an audiobook narrator for over twelve years! Wow, that’s dedication. It is with great sadness that we received the news that Joan would soon be leaving our ranks. Unfortunately, Joan’s sight has degraded to the point where narration is becoming more and more difficult for her. As such, she has decided that the time has come to take a step back. Joan’s current book will be her last.
As sad as we are to lose her, we can’t thank Joan enough for her dedication over the last twelve years. We take comfort in the knowledge that her voice will continue to bring joy to many for a long time to come. Thanks Joan!
Joan first started narrating at VisAbility after she retired. A friend of hers had been volunteering with us and had brought her along for an audition to be a narrator. For forty years, Joan had participated in community theatre. Here, she learned all the skills that would become invaluable as an audiobook narrator. We have been privileged to have her amongst our number.
As you can see, our volunteers are a varied bunch, each bringing their unique talents and passions to their work. Maddie, Taylor, and Joan are just three of the 164 volunteers who donate their time to VisAbility alone. That’s not even mentioning those who work with our sister brands Kites Childrens Therapy and Guide Dogs WA. From all of us here, we offer a heartfelt thank you to every one of them.
If you have ever considered volunteering, or if you have volunteered before and want to start again, we would love to hear from you! You can find out more about volunteering here.
Reach out to us directly if you’d like more information on 1800 847 466 or info@visability.com.au