11,000 families. 62,000 people. 24,000 hampers. 217,000 meals. These figures are huge. This is the impact and reach Warrnambool & District Foodshare has had over the past 6 years in our region supporting our community through a dedicated team of volunteers led by the charismatic Dedy Friebe. The story of Foodshare is one of many we were privileged to be a small part of recently in a day exploring the true value of volunteerism in our region.

Volunteerism is strong in our region. This should come as no surprise when you dig a little into the opportunities available in the Great South Coast to be a part of the community by giving your time, skills, knowledge or just lending a hand to one of the many groups listed on the Volunteer Connect website. The value volunteers bring to our region is significant.

The value in volunteering is personal too. To be part of a group, build a network, extend your skills, knowledge and leadership, make social connections and test a new career are some of the many benefits volunteering can bring. Having a personal volunteerism strategy can be an effective way to find a meaningful pathway to contribute in the community while extending your professional experience at the same time.

Witnessing the dedicated SES team of volunteers in training as they extricated a passenger from a vehicle cutting it open like a tin can was a great example of the opportunities volunteering offers to build skills and knowledge. I’m grateful we have this crack team of emergency service volunteers on hand in our region after seeing their ability to work as a team and troubleshoot on the fly and under pressure.

Hearing several personal stories on this program day of journeys and adventures through volunteerism gives the 2019 LGSC participants great food for thought in considering where to next? In a year of significant personal and professional growth it’s fitting that our last program day of the 2019 program leaves us to consider how we can continue to contribute the best of ourselves as community leaders into the future.

Brendan Donahoo, 2019 Participant