From the 20th to the 26th of May, Australia celebrates National Volunteer Week, recognising the outstanding contributions they selflessly make to our communities. We are constantly inspired by our 400 volunteers, who give around 34,000 hours of combined hours each year to support our older people. And who better to inspire us than Lily, one of Warrigal’s youngest volunteers at just 9 years old.

Lily has been volunteering for two years, starting when she was just 6 years old, and continues to share her spare time after school and on her school holidays to bring joy to older people. Lily confidently engages in craft activities and plays dominoes with our Warrigal Social participants, bringing smiles and laughter to the group whenever she attends. Her kind, caring and generous spirit is a gift to our older people, as she spreads happiness just by being herself.

When asked about her volunteering experience at Warrigal, Lily said “I love volunteering because you get to talk to so many people, you get to learn their stories and also learn what they are interested in. I love it because we get to do fun things, we all have so much fun.”

She continued, “I think other people should come and volunteer because you might get to learn something new, and it feels good to spend time with people and make them happy.”

Our volunteers provide support in a number of ways – whether it’s spending quality one-on-one time with our older people, driving our buses, organising & participating in social activities, gardening, and much more. If you have an interest, skill, or hobby, you have an opportunity to share it with others by volunteering.

With a nearly 60-year legacy built on the contributions of our wonderful volunteers, Warrigal simply wouldn’t be what it is today without the thousands of hours they have dedicated to our organisation. We have been impacted by their guidance at every level of our organisation right from the word go, as Warrigal was founded by a group of volunteers nearly 60 years ago, through to the present day as we continue to be governed by our voluntary Board of Directors.

We thank Lily and all of our volunteers, for leading the way towards a brighter future for our older people.

If you’re interested in making a difference, contact our volunteer coordinator at volunteering@warrigal.com.au to apply, or visit our Volunteer page to learn more here.