Homework service a study in great volunteering

A homework assistance service for people from non-English speaking backgrounds has received a top award at yesterday’s 2018 New England Volunteer Awards.

The Armidale EAL/D (English as an Additional Language or Dialect) Homework Centre was presented with the Alwyn Jones Community Award, during a ceremony at the council chambers in Armidale.

The centre’s volunteer team works with primary school students from non-English speaking backgrounds. Volunteers help students with their homework and engage them in conversational and literacy activities in ways to develop their English language skills.

The centre also received the Volunteer Team of the Year Award during the ceremony, which was told the team provided an enormously valuable program to vulnerable children and young people in our community. It supported them to maximise their potential, improve their learning outcomes and support their sense of belonging in the Armidale community.

Armidale EAL/D Homework Centre was one of four award winners at this year’s event.

The individual award for adult volunteers was presented to French geriatric nurse Myriam Rigot, who is in Australia on a three-year visa, and is passionate about the welfare of older people.

The award ceremony was told she brings her knowledge, compassion and empathy to her volunteering with the Jacaranda Social Club.

The Armidale Regional Youth Advisory Committee received the Youth Volunteers of the Year Award for regularly holding events for young people, including school holiday activities, a youth forum and youth awards.

Its members come from different backgrounds but are all focused on ensuring young people in Armidale are heard and respected, and promoting the mental health of youths.

Networking volunteer Helen Garske was presented with the Senior Volunteer of the Year prize. She volunteers in a variety of areas and builds links between organisations.

The awards are coordinated by Council’s Armidale Volunteer Referral Service in conjunction with the Armidale Uniting Church, which has been organising the Alwyn Jones Community Award since 2005.

Alwyn Jones Community Award committee chair Margaret Waters, Alwyn’s daughter, said having the award in honour of her father meant a lot to their family, who all dedicated themselves to volunteer work wherever they lived.

Her father made valuable volunteer contributions in a number of areas and is best remembered for establishing street trees in Armidale from the 1940s to the late 1990s.

“An award in his name offers a shining example of what can be achieved in a volunteer capacity,” she said.

Armidale Volunteer Referral Service Coordinator Jane Davies said this year’s awards continued the steady rise in the quality of nominations and was a very positive reflection on the region’s many volunteers.

“They make such a huge difference in our community and without them many of the services in our area, including assistance in transport and for older and young residents, would simply not exist,” Ms Davies said.

Other Alwyn Jones Community Award nominees: •Jacaranda Social Club volunteers  •Wendy Beck •Myriam Rigot •Armidale Meals on Wheels •Helen Garske •Hinton Tour Guide Volunteers

Other Armidale Volunteer Referral Service award nominees: •Peter Bannon (Highly commended in Senior Volunteer category) •Jacaranda Social Club (Volunteer Team category) •Wendy Beck (Adult Volunteer category) •Armidale Meals on Wheels (Volunteer Team category) •United Hospital Auxiliary - Armidale Branch (Volunteer Team category) •Hinton tour guide team (Volunteer Team category) •Saumarez Homestead volunteer guides (Volunteer Team category)

Photo caption: Alwyn Jones’s daughter Margaret Waters (left) and son Phil Jones with some of the winners in the today’s 2018 New England Volunteer Awards, Armidale Regional Youth Advisory Committee member Subhanu Abbaraju, Helen Garske (second from left) and Margaret Wooster, who nominated Helen.

Published on 23 May 2018