NEWS & EVENTS

Volunteering Expo and Awards 2018

Fiona Morrison • June 12, 2018

Volunteering Expo and Central Coast Volunteer Awards 2018

The Volunteering Expo held by Volunteering Central Coast (VCC) on Wednesday 30th May, saw 38 Community organisations come together to showcase their activities and volunteering opportunities. With over 400 people attending, the day was a great success.

An important part of the expo was the recognition of individuals who devote their time, energy and enthusiasm as volunteers in the Central Coast Community. Award Categories included Volunteer of the year, Young Volunteer of the year and ‘Living Legend’ Volunteer (10 or more years of service) as well as Volunteer Managers and Corporate Volunteers for 2018.

“The theme for this year’s National Volunteering week was ‘Give a little change a lot’ , however it appears that all the award nominees have given a great deal!” said Fiona Morrison, from Volunteering Central Coast. “The people of the Central Coast are very generous with their time, skills and hearts with a higher percentage of people volunteering here that in Greater Sydney. Over 46,000 people volunteer on the Central Coast every year, and we get to meet many of them at Volunteering Central Coast. I feel that the real winners are the organisations and communities in which all our nominees volunteer!”

The Judges were representatives from the VCC Board, TAFE’s Community Services Unit and Hunter Volunteer Centre, and they were looking for how volunteers personified VCC’s message about volunteering – ‘Helping people, changing lives’

VCC are showcasing each winner with a once in a lifetime opportunity to be recognised for their endeavours in their own community. Thanks to award sponsors, Claude Neon, each winner will have their photo displayed on bus shelters around the Central Coast.

For more information on the Volunteering Awards, contact Fiona Morrison from Volunteering Central Coast on 4329 7122 or via email at recruit@volcc.org.au

Award Winners detailed below:

Leanne manages over 70 volunteers over 6 days each week as well as Fair days and events. She is not only very supportive, getting to really know and appreciate each individual, but really sees their potential and works to activate opportunities for them to step in to project

leadership where they show interest, resulting in awesome and creative outcomes for Fairhaven, as well as a really bonded, happy and satisfied volunteer workforce.

Leanne and her team manage the whole Fairhaven shopping village (8 retail shops) and pop up shops in retail centres. They raised almost $200,000 last year in revenue to support people living with disabilities.

Mars Food Australia harnessed its community spirit on Friday 11 August, 2017 when more than 160 employees spent a day volunteering in the local community. Employees split up across 16 community organisations that included farms, schools for disadvantaged youth, respite centres and recovery and rehabilitation centres to lend a hand:


  • Cooking and share meals with community group volunteers and service users;
  • Picking fruit;
  • Gardening and ground maintenance;
  • Setting up an irrigation system at a local school for Agriculture classes;
  • Creating and planting new vegetable gardens;
  • Tending existing community vegetable gardens;
  • Refresh of kitchen and dining facilities;
  • Reinvigorating a sensory trail for children and adults with disabilities.

The day reminded all employees about the importance of being part of a community and the impact we can have by giving back. Mars Food Australia will run it’s Volunteer Day again on 13 July 2018.

Kai has won Umina Surf Club Volunteer of the Year 2017, and for 4 years running received the Edmund Rice Award for community work excess of 100hrs per year.

Kai does Patrols for Umina Surf Club, he volunteers at NSW Surf Titles and Australian Surf Titles in capacity of IRB Crew and Official.

Kai holds the position of Radio Officer in our club and is on the Emergency Call Out Team. Kai engages positively with members of the public and is keen to share his knowledge about beach and surf safety as well as information about the local community area. He is then one of the last to leave; pulling the roller shutters down.

His willingness to help around the club is second to none and is always done with a smile on his face. Over the past 4 years Kai as contributed in excess of 1500hrs and only now at the age of 16.

Bev loves her local community and has been involved in many volunteering positions here at Toukley Neighbourhood Centre for over 15 years.

She has been instrumental in identifying gaps and needs for the disadvantaged and vulnerable and has developed programs like Showers and Laundry for the homeless and 2 social enterprises to support the community.

The Lakes Food Care Program provides an affordable place to shop where over 500 clients and families a week only pay handling fees for rescued food purchased from Foodbank NSW & ACT. The OP-Shop provides much needed fundraising funds which support other community programs available at Toukley Neighbourhood Centre.

Bev's, love, energy, innovation and aspirations for this community and Toukley Neighbourhood Centre is an incredible contribution by one individual.

Chris Garratt has been with Wheeling and Able since 1998, joining the Board of Directors holding several roles whilst also being employed as Assistant Principal Support at East Gosford Primary School. Chris has enhanced the lives of many young People 0-21 with physical disabilities living on the Central Coast and the Newcastle Hunter Region. During her time with Wheeling and Able Chris has been the major drive in arranging a Race Day and other fund raising events.

Especially significant has been Chris' role in leading the transition from Wheeling and Able Central Coast Branch to CoastAbility Ltd to become a totally Central Coast entity this year.

Chris' volunteering for Wheeling and Able and now with CoastAbility has been exceptional in the contribution to young people with disabilities on the Central Coast.

Her dedication to her role and excellence in outcomes for the organisation, the people it serves and the young people with disabilities living on the Central Coast could not have been given with more grace, humility or dedication than Chris has done for 20 years and is continuing to do.

Tony is National Volunteer Week Central Coast Winner

December 23, 2022
Volunteering Central Coast (VCC) held a celebration at Norah Head Lighthouse Reserve last week to celebrate International Volunteer Day (IVD) on December 5 and recognise this year’s National Volunteer Week Central Coast winner, Tony Ward. He commenced volunteering at Wayside Chapel in the 1980s and was also President of his local primary school P&C committee where he organised logistics for environmental workshops for many years. Ward had a stroke on Australia Day 2016, losing his speech and his ability to read and write. Despite this he volunteered at the Norah Head Lighthouse Reserve as soon as he was fit enough to walk. He lives at Toukley and walks 3km to the Lighthouse Reserve every Tuesday and Friday to volunteer. He also gives time to the Norah Head Coast Care Volunteers weeding and replanting native plants on Bush Street Reserve, the Norah Head Cemetery and the Jenny Dixon Beach Reserve. Click the link below to read more... https://coastcommunitynews.com.au/central-coast/news/2022/12/tony-is-national-volunteer-week-central-coast-winner/

Volunteering Central Coast Annual Awards

June 21, 2022
Category: Volunteer of the Year 2022 Winner: Tony Ward Volunteer Organisation: Norah Head Lighthouse Reserve Tony Ward commenced volunteering at Wayside Chapel in the 1980s and was also Present of local primary school P&C. He organised logistics for environmental workshops for many years. Tony had a stroke on Australia Day 2016 where he lost his speech and his ability to read and write. Despite this Tony volunteered at the Norah Head Lighthouse Reserve as soon as he was fit enough to walk. He tackled stabilising the steep slopes on the Reserve by hammering 1-metre-longstakes into the slope, placing kopper logs behind the stakes and then planting out with Lomandra. Tony lives in Toukley and walks 3klms+ out to the Lighthouse Reserve on every Tuesday and Friday to volunteer. In addition to the Norah Head Lighthouse Reserve, Tony Ward also volunteers with the local Norah Head Coast Care Volunteers weeding and replanting native plants on Bush Street Reserve, the Norah Head Cemetery and the Jenny Dixon Beach Reserve.

Volunteering Central Coast Annual Awards

By Fiona Morrison • June 3, 2021
Volunteering Central Coast’s National Volunteer Week Central Coast Awards is an important part of the year in the recognition of individuals who devote their time, energy and enthusiasm as volunteers in the Central Coast Community. Categories include Volunteer of the year, Young Volunteer, Volunteer Team and ‘Living Legend’ Volunteer (10 or more years of service) as well as Excellence in Volunteer Managers and Corporate Volunteers for 2021. The theme for this year’s National Volunteering week was ‘Recognise. Reconnect. Reimagine’, and it certainly reflects the experience we have at Volunteering Central Coast of a resurgence in people wanting to volunteer and volunteer involving organisations seeking new volunteers after a hiatus of COVID restrictions, and reconnecting with their loyal volunteers from years past. “The Judges were looking for how volunteers personified VCC’s message about volunteering – ‘Helping people, changing lives’ We feel that the real winners are the organisations and communities in which all our nominees volunteer! Indeed, the people of the Central Coast are very generous with their time, skills and hearts with a higher percentage of people volunteering here that in Greater Sydney, over 46,000 people volunteer, and we get to meet many of them at Volunteering Central Coast. This year, the 2021 NVW Award face-to-face presentations were held on Wednesday 26 May at the Erina Centre, and we were very happy to have the finalists from our 2020 NVW Awards also join us to be able to present their certificates in person.” Said Fiona Morrison, Executive Officer of Volunteering Central Coast. “The awards were presented by Member for Terrigal, Adam Crouch, Member for Wyong, David Harris, Administrator Central Coast Council, Rik Hart, Emma Gilbert of Dept. Communities and Justice and VCC Board members, Chairperson Randal Tame, Dr Jacqui Larkin and Andrew Cordwell” VCC are showcasing each winner with a once in a lifetime opportunity to be recognised for their endeavours in their own community, on their website this week ( www.volunteeringcentralcoast.org.au ) , and VCC will also arrange for a professional photo of each volunteer award winner in their volunteering role. The Award Winners’ portraits from each of the years 2018 to 2020 are currently on exhibition at the Erina Centre Foyer.

Community Visitors Scheme provides a lifeline of connection

By Rob Paes • March 18, 2021
Lee and Colleen. Photo: Amanda Brook Lee is 103 years old, legally blind and has lived in aged care at Killarney Vale for 12 years. She has knitted and donated more than 2,000 trauma teddies for the ambulance service. Lee and Colleen have been friends since May 2017, after Colleen decided to volunteer her time visiting an older person in aged care. “At first I was concerned that I would be imposing myself on someone, but really, I needn’t have worried,” Colleen said. They are both part of the Volunteering Central Coast Community Visitors Scheme (CVS) which has just had a $28,000 financial boost from the Federal Government. Health Minister, Greg Hunt, said he recognised the significant impact that CVS volunteers had on the wellbeing of older citizens since it started in 1992. This volunteer program has been particularly important during the past year of Covid restrictions on aged care facilities, and Volunteering Central Coast (VCC) volunteers have used all manner of ways to remain connected, sending cards and gifts, and telephoning their older friends, providing a lifeline of connection during this distressing time of social isolation. VCC has received additional funds to be able to enhance these connections using tablets or iPads to enable video calls between the older resident and their visitor, as well as being a source of connection to the internet, mind gym apps, music and more. “Community visitor volunteers commit to visiting their matched resident friend at least once a fortnight,” said Toni Trent, the CVS Co-ordinator at VCC. “Visits are spent doing something that both the visitor and the resident enjoy, you might want to read, listen to music, chat and reminisce, or watch a favourite TV program together, go for a walk or an outing,” she said. The new funds will enable these activities to expand with new volunteers exploring the opportunities of being connected to the internet, ancestry searches, online games or touring the world via Google Earth. Volunteering Central Coast is the local Volunteer Resource Centre and the lead agency for Volunteer Support Services for the Central Coast region. It provides volunteer support services to individuals and volunteer involving organisations across the region and has represented the volunteer sector here for almost 40 years. The Coast has more than 36,000 formal volunteers and many more that volunteer occasionally or help out in a crisis. VCC co-ordinates the delivery of the CVS program on the Coast and also provides nearly 50 volunteers to visit older people, providing friendship and companionship. Visits are available to anyone receiving government-subsidised residential aged care or Home Care Packages. There is a particular focus on older people that have little contact with friends or relatives, are feeling isolated from their culture and heritage, have mobility issues that prevent them from taking part in social or leisure activities or are different in some way. Executive Officer at Volunteering Central Coast, Fiona Morrison, said the Community Visitors Scheme showed how volunteers personified VCC’s message about volunteering, Helping People, Changing Lives. “Volunteering brings people together for many reasons and we are so proud to have a wonderful team of our volunteers giving back to those most isolated in our community, especially the perseverance we have seen in the challenges that they have faced to maintain contact with the resident they have befriended during the Covid restrictions that have seen some aged care facilities in lockdown for six months,” she said. This article also appeared in the Hunter & Coastal Lifestyle Magazine in May 2021 https://hunterlifestyle.com.au/2021/05/central-coast-the-gift-of-giving-back/

Central Coast Volunteers adapt to COVID-19

By Sarah Iuliano - Courtesy of NBN News • May 26, 2020
Many charities have experienced a shakeup, as coronavirus forces their older volunteer base into isolation. But some of those who lost their jobs in the pandemic, are rolling up their sleeves. Click the link below (courtesy of NBN News Central Coast) to watch our full news story... https://www.nbnnews.com.au/2020/05/15/central-coast-volunteers-adapt-to-covid-19/

Volunteering Central Coast Annual Awards

By Fiona Morrison • May 26, 2020
The Volunteering Expo this week held by Volunteering Central Coast has been postponed from 27 May 2020 to 4 November due to the COVI-19 restrictions on public events. This annual event hosts over 40 Community organisations that showcase their activities and the volunteering opportunities available as well as attracting over 400 people looking to volunteer. The Expo is usually held to coincide with National Volunteer Week and an important part of the event is recognition of individuals who devote their time, energy and enthusiasm as volunteers in the Central Coast Community through the VCC National Volunteer Week Central Coast Awards presentations. Categories include Volunteer of the year, Young Volunteer, Volunteer Team and ‘Living Legend’ Volunteer (10 or more years of service) as well as Excellence in Volunteer Managers and Corporate Volunteers for 2020. “The theme for this year’s National Volunteering week was ‘Changing Communities, Changing Lives’ , and it’s apparent that all the award nominations have made a great difference!” said Fiona Morrison, Executive Officer of Volunteering Central Coast. “Indeed, the people of the Central Coast are very generous with their time, skills and hearts with a higher percentage of people volunteering here that in Greater Sydney, over 46,000 people volunteer, and we get to meet many of them at Volunteering Central Coast.” The Judges were looking for how volunteers personified VCC’s message about volunteering – ‘Helping people, changing lives’ VCC are showcasing each winner with a once in a lifetime opportunity to be recognised for their endeavours in their own community, on their website this week (www.volunteeringcentralcoast.org.au ), and will present the awards in person at the Expo in November. VCC will also present a professional photo of each volunteer award winner in their role to the lucky nominee. However, Fiona added, “I feel that the real winners are the organisations and communities in which all our nominees volunteer!” Category: Volunteer of the Year 2020

Board Director Recruitment

By Rob Paes • August 6, 2019
Volunteering Central Coast (VCC) is an incorporated association and registered charity based on the NSW Central Coast. Our central purpose is to enable community engagement, inclusion and growth through quality volunteering. We are currently seeking to invite suitable applicants to apply to join the Board of this highly valued organisation. If you are interested please email board1@volcc.org.au or call our main office on 02 4329 7122 for a Board Recruitment Pack which includes an overview of the purpose and commitments of VCC, a brief history of the organisation, an outline of the current strategic plan as well as an application form. CLICK HERE to find out information about this position. CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: 30 August 2019

Something for everyone this Volunteer Week

By Sarah Iuliano • May 23, 2019
From lending a hand in the kitchen to lending a voice on the radio – tens of thousands of Central Coast residents give their time to their community without expecting anything in return. This National Volunteer Week, support organisations are encouraging MORE people to have a go – and there’s something for everyone.

Volunteering Expos 2019

By Fiona Morrison • April 18, 2019
To showcase the great variety of volunteering opportunities and share the multiple benefits of becoming a volunteer, you are warmly invited to participate in our annual Volunteering Expos

Event Training

By Fiona Morrison • April 8, 2019
This information and orientation workshop will give you the understanding of how to volunteer at events, the rights and responsibilities of being an volunteer, and link you with several event volunteering opportunities on the Central Coast.
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