Young volunteer in Tauranga honoured for school and community contributions

Luke Wilson from Tauranga Boys College has been recognised for his volunteering spirit, being named the winner of the TrustPower Tauranga Youth Community Spirit Award.

Luke is a natural leader especially in Arts and Culture. He leads many groups within the school both with senior and junior students and he gives 100% to everything he does.

In the community, Luke is involved with the Tauranga Moana Amnesty International Group and helped set up an Amnesty group at Tauranga Boys College.

Luke loves giving back to his school and community, and has a personal desire to nourish the growing creative and artistic culture of both Tauranga Boys College and the Tauranga region. This passion and drive that Luke has - made him stand out as the winner of the TrustPower Tauranga Youth Community Spirit Award.

BP Vouchers for Volunteers

BP New Zealand has launched the ‘BP Vouchers for Volunteers’ programme for 2009, inviting applications from volunteer organisations for thousands of BP fuel vouchers/gift cards.

Managing Director Peter Griffiths said “Every day thousands of volunteers give up their spare time to help others who are less fortunate. These volunteers are an essential part of New Zealand society. We have been overwhelmed with the number of applications received each year since we started this programme and expect this year to be no different.”

“In the last three years we have been delighted to help more than 1,000 organisations ranging from” he said.

“BP New Zealand recognises that fuel prices and the current economic environment have had a huge impact on volunteers who use vehicles to do their work. Through donating thousands of fuel vouchers to volunteer organizations that use vehicles, we can do our bit to help out.” he said.

Registered charities or volunteer organisations that rely on voluntary assistance and use vehicles are eligible to apply. For an application form and full eligibility criteria please visit http://www.bp.co.nz/. Applications close on the 5th of July.

Successful applicants will be advised by email and on our website (http://www.bp.co.nz/) during the week commencing July 27th.

Mr Griffiths said “we are very pleased to again be able to say thank you to the many volunteers around the country who work long hours to help others in the community.”

Nestlé Supports Community Volunteers

Nestlé is running a competion through their web site called “Reward a Community Volunteer” . This aims to recognise the huge contribution that volunteers make in the New Zealand community. It asks people to nominate a person they know who is undertaking great work in the community that is unpaid who they believe deserves a hamper of Nestlé product valued at $150; there are 10 hampers to be won. In addition, all people nominted will receive a letter from Nestlé acknowledging their contribution to the community and a voucher for a free box of Nestlé Scorched Almonds. This is the 4th year the promotion has run and around 400 people are nominated each year, meaning it is a very hard task to select the hamper winners.

This year Nestlé has also partnered with Newstalk ZB to provide a separate promotion on radio. This is a national campaign throughout New Zealand and should reach around 400,000 people. There will be 2 Nestlé hampers given away each week day during Volunteer Awareness Week between 15 - 19th June. Radio advertising started 10th of June, helping to draw attention to the week.

Nestlé supports volunteering as we recoginse the vital role volunteers make to the well being of our communities. As a company, we give each of our staff the opportunity of taking one paid days leave each year to undertake a voluntary work in the community.

We endorse and appreciate the role of Volunteering New Zealand in supporting and encouraging volunteering.

For further information on nominaton process please visit Nestle website.

The deadline for nominations is 30 June.

Great Idea Volunteer!!

IHC Volunteer Programme

To thank all our volunteers, coordinators throughout the country are hosting movie afternoons or evenings.

The IHC Volunteer Programme promotes one to one friendship in the community. This is what makes being a volunteer for IHC so unique.

The IHC Volunteer Programme is not asking you to find another hour in your day; we would simply like you to include another person with similar interests in your life.

The IHC Programme will challenge your ideas and perceptions of what volunteering is about.

This is volunteering on your terms.

Anyone interested in learning more can call
O800 IHC IHC (0800 442 442)
Have Fun, Feel Good, Make a Difference

Youth Focus in Otago

Volunteering Otago have organised several events, several with a youth volunteering focus. They include

• a BBQ, stall and flag art display in the Octagon on 18 June
• A stall and Wii games in the Wall Street mall on 18 & 19 June
• A fabulous "Water Race" in the Octagon on Friday 19 June - Dunedinites are invited to come and rally behind students from Queens and Kings High School who are going to a be running around the Octagon carrying water buckets to raise money and awareness for Turn on the Tap and organisation that helps build wells and provide safe drinking water for people in third world countries-
• The kick off of Volunteering Otago's Dob in a Volunteer competition. They are asking for nomination of people who make an awesome contribution to the local community!

Volunteers are Stars in the Far North

A special “Volunteers are Stars” promotion will be linked to the Matariki celebrations in the Far North. They are having a month long festival during June called Matariki Muriwhenua. As part of this celebration they are profiling the wonderful work done by volunteers, essential in isolated, rural communities. The campaign will leverage off Matariki and is named 'Volunteers are Stars'. Gold stars are available for purchase through a small donation at any of the six local banks.

VAW in Gisborne

Gisborne Volunteer Centre is celebrating Volunteer Awareness Week with a morning tea for our volunteers. Deputy Mayor, Nona Aston, will be joining with Board members and staff to thank the volunteers who consisitently help out the Centre.

Throughout the week, there will be displays in shop windows highlighting the various volunteer groups working in our community. A newspaper feature will further promote the week.

There is also a 'Come as a volunteer' community day, people in the workforce are encouraged to dress as they would for their volunteers roles for the day; for example they can wear a badge or cap that advertises volunteer organisations, if they don't have a uniform. Highschool students will be distributing leaflets about volunteering in the CBD.

On Thursday and Friday, Jenny Magee from Mosiac Training Ltd, Waikato is presenting training workshops focusing on volunteer management.

These are:

• Planning for Volunteer Involvement
• Writing Volunteer Role Job Descriptions
• Risk Management for Volunteers
• Retention of Volunteers
• Supervision and Support

On Friday morning, Jenny will be giving a breakfast talk on "Volunteering for all ages".

For details contact Gisborne Volunteer Centre, phone 8684522 or email gisvolunteercentre@xtra.co.nz