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Recognising that helping hand
Volunteers in the Cairns area will be joining colleagues throughout Queensland this month to celebrate National Volunteer Week (NVW).
NVW is held from May 10 to 16, and begins with a morning tea at Westpac’s Cairns Branch. The morning tea will also be an opportunity to launch FNQ Volunteers Inc’s latest publication: “Valuing Community Volunteering”.
The State Member for Barron River and Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Steve Wettenhall will officially open celebrations for National Volunteer Week 2010. Other State and Federal members will also be attending the morning tea along with other invited guests and volunteers.
The Chief Executive Officer of FNQ Volunteers Inc., Ellen Barnes, said: “We are excited to have Westpac on board as a major sponsor for National Volunteer Week. Called ‘A Taste of Volunteering’, events are being organised by community organisations from Cardwell to Port Douglas as a way to say thank you to the many volunteers in their communities. I invite volunteers to register their interest in attending an event happening in their local community. We look forward to saying: ‘thank you, now more than ever’.”
Ron Haines, Westpac’s Bank Manager in Cairns added that Westpac was proud to partner FNQ Volunteers to recognise the vital role local volunteers play in our region.
“We share a similar approach in that Westpac also has a long and strong tradition of community involvement. We share a common belief that we should also make a contribution to the communities in which we live and work so have a long history of rolling up our sleeves, to give practical hands on support to those who need it most.”
FNQ Volunteers, based in Virginia House, on Abbott Street, Cairns, refers more than 1,000 people each year for voluntary positions in the Far North Queensland area.
Positions can range from lending support in schools to fundraising for worthy causes, and volunteering to help in museums and libraries. CEO Ellen Barnes says: “The scope for potential volunteers is enormous, and there is a tremendous
opportunity to help other people by donating time, energy and expertise. Lots of people in the Cairns area offer their time to help by volunteering in the community, and this is our chance to connect new and existing volunteers with
various events in the region to celebrate National Volunteer Week, we find that our volunteers say, it’s the best job in town”.
National Volunteer Week 2010 is supported by the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
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