Val is in her late 70s. She is still quite active for her age, given the normal medical conditions that plague people in her age range.
More importantly, Val has been an unpaid volunteer for most of her life, serving a number of organisations including the Girl Guides Association, Box Hill Hospital and many more. She has applied herself energetically to these organisations and has fulfilled an important role in the community. Some of this work has resulted in official recognition of her work. Her husband, Brian, has also been involved in volunteering over the years and has received the AM for his efforts.
"So Val, how are things going down at the hospital since the rebuilding?", we innocently asked.
Her response was full of regret and bitterness. Since the rebuilding, the management of the hospital has been taken over by a corporate management team. The "hospital auxiliary" table was removed as it looked "untidy" and the auxiliary was all but disbanded by the hospital.
Now let's step back a bit. What do these auxiliaries do? In general, the membership is composed of retired persons who put in hours of their own time, making and selling small goods, such as jams and preserves, knitted items or small toys. These items bring in relatively small amounts of money, compared with the hospital's annual budget, but the money raised gives these volunteers a sense of worth.
Volunteering enables people who are getting on in years to contribute to community, socialise and lend their life skills. For instance, how many grieving parents, relatives or friends drop by the auxiliary table on their way into or out of the hospital to pour out their hearts? Who can these volunteers discuss their own issues with? In many cases, the auxiliary is their main form of social contact - perhaps the only people that they talk to for the week.
The auxiliary continues to operate with just three volunteers two days per week making sandwiches in the tiny ill equipped cafeteria provided by the hospital management.
This scenario has been repeated elsewhere in hospitals around Victoria eg. the Royal Melbourne, the Women's and more as "foundations" have taken on the sole money making role, with no consideration for the great community value of these volunteers.
This corporate tunnel vision is being repeated throughout other volunteering bodies. As a volunteer for a number of causes including an Op(portunity) Shop - known as a Charity Shop outside Australia - I am amazed at the scant regard that is given to the shop, which raises around $250k per annum, by the governing charity.
Our local council has set up a Volunteer Resource Centre which I approached after moving to part time work five years ago. Their operations were so bogged down in corporate speak and bureaucracy that I just decided to apply to charities for work directly. Not everyone has the skills to do this and it seems to me that many potential volunteers are being passed by.
In a country where the government is trying to encourage older people to stay in the paid (or unpaid/under paid) work force, I sense that there is positive discouragement of volunteering.
NB: Of course large numbers of younger people volunteer for their kids, for scouts, St. John's ambulance, etc etc etc. This Blog relates predominantly to volunteering by Seniors
NB: Of course large numbers of younger people volunteer for their kids, for scouts, St. John's ambulance, etc etc etc. This Blog relates predominantly to volunteering by Seniors
