As National Volunteer Week gets underway, St John is asking New Zealand to recognise and thank the country’s volunteers for their dedication to helping their community.
This year National Volunteer Week runs from the 20-26 June with the theme ‘Recognise. Connect. Reimagine’.
With New Zealand being recognised as having one of the highest volunteering rates in the world, it is no wonder that St John volunteers number over 8,000. For every paid staff member there are three volunteers, and without their commitment and dedication we would be unable to continue our life saving work to improve health.
The more than two million hours that St John volunteers contribute are interweaved throughout all the activities of St John, from frontline ambulance officers to Caring Callers, 3 Steps for Life facilitators, Therapy Pets volunteers, St John Store volunteers, Friends of the Emergency Department and Hospital Friends, Health Shuttle drivers, event volunteers, youth leaders and chaplains. Binding it all together are our Area Committee members who ensure communities have the support they need.
Sarah Manley, St John Deputy Chief Executive (Community Health and Iwi Engagement), says without these volunteers the community health services that St John provides would not be able to function.
“Every single volunteer is vital to the health and wellbeing of the people in their community. Even though their volunteering experience may differ, the underlying motivation is to serve their community and build resilience.”
St John volunteer Bruce Tudor, who works at our historic archives in Auckland, says volunteering lets him put something back into the community.
"I was a frontline paramedic for St John and when I retired, I came to archives to volunteer. It helps me put something back into the community that I've probably taken out of over the years."
St John National Operations Manager (Emergency Ambulance Volunteers), James Stewart, says that volunteers working in New Zealand’s rural and remote areas mean that patients throughout New Zealand’s diverse landscape have access to clinical care when they need it most.
“Our frontline volunteers make themselves available to respond and treat those in their community when emergencies happen. This means those in isolated areas can be treated quickly and lives are saved.”
St John asks everyone to take a moment during National Volunteer Week to acknowledge the country’s volunteers with a kind word or gesture, so they know they are appreciated and valued.
For more information about volunteering, visit https://join.stjohn.org.nz/volunteer-jobs.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Gerard Campbell
St John Communications Advisor
M: 027 567 2083
E: gerard.campbell@stjohn.org.nz
St John volunteers are made up of -
- 714 Caring Caller volunteers
- 978 Youth leaders
- 2,890 clinical volunteers
- 731 Health Shuttle volunteers
- 126 Outreach Therapy Pets coordinators
- 51 Community Carers
- 1,510 St John Store volunteers
- 783 Friends of the Emergency Department (FEDs) and Hospital Friends volunteers
- 608 local Area Committee volunteers
- 61 Governance volunteers
- 77 Chaplains