NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK May 16th to May 22nd – celebrating volunteering
Waverley Hockey Club is a really important part of the lives of many panthers. Some of us joined during Hookin2Hockey, others through juniors, seniors or masters. Being a panther comes in many forms, ranging from playing to being a family member of a player or being one of our committed volunteers that enable our club to run.
With this week being National Volunteer Week we thought it would be a great time to celebrate what volunteering means to our panther community. But before you read on take note of these resources to help you volunteer at Waverley HC:
How to volunteer at WHC?
Contacts for volunteering listed here: https://waverleyhc.org.au/2022-volunteer-levy/
Link for signing up for canteen duty: https://signup.zone/WFSR7SFYGYRnbjLGW
When you chat with Panthers about their first memories joining the club you hear amazing stories of how welcomed people felt right from the beginning as player, parent and volunteer. For many of us, our hockey club has been of part of our lives for more than a decade or goes back multiple generations. Volunteers welcomed us when we visited the club for our first time, assisted us to get our uniform, equipment and Hockey Victoria membership organised, introduced us to other panthers and plenty more. These small and thoughtful actions have contributed great first memories for plenty of us.
What started as a place to have fun playing hockey, turned into way more for many. Our hockey club is a community where many of us formed a hockey family, made great friends and enjoyed plenty of great memories on and off the hockey field. Many of the great friendships made at Waverley came from people rolling up their sleeves and volunteering their time.
This resonated for Caley Geary, she shared –
“I have met a bunch of players, mums and dads through volunteering that I never would have met just being a player or spectator”.
Volunteering provides a great opportunity to grow skills, confidence and contribute to the community you want to be a part of. Many panthers will tell you stories about how they started to volunteer because they wanted to play their part in helping our club run. The rewards were the pride of knowing they have played a part in the club making a positive impact to the lives of our community. Many have also gained the confidence to chase their goals plus developed transferrable skills and personal qualities that helped them in their studies and work.
One of our new members of the Women’s Executive Committee, Alex Backman, shared some of the benefits she has gained.
“Volunteering has helped me with my professional development, and organisation skills and helped me gain confidence in myself. … [I]t also has contributed to my work environment. There are many benefits when it comes to volunteering, I have been able to meet new people, learn new skills and take on challenges that are worth it in the end. Overall, volunteering has been super valuable to me and will continue to make an impact in my life.”
For many panthers the journey to volunteering starts with their passion to give back to our club that plays an important part in our lives. With almost 30 years of hockey played, Melanie Koelmeyer naturally progressed from player, parent, coach, to junior committee.
In reflecting on volunteering, Melanie shared –
I enjoy volunteering because I know I’m giving back to a community that’s been a large part of my life…. It’s nice to know you’re doing something that makes the wider community and hockey community a better place.
Now is a great time to think about what our club means to you. If it is an important part of your life, play your role in helping to run our club and making our hockey community a better place.
To all of our dedicated volunteers who make it possible for us to play our favourite sport with our amazing hockey community we say thank you.