Volunteer West organised an event to celebrate the 34 organisations which successfully completed our Volunteer Management –Training & Mentoring Programme 2019. It was an exceptional opportunity for those organisations to network with each other and to meet and build relationships with Volunteer West, the state government, local councils and supporting organisations.

It was an honour for us to have Lizzie Blandthorn MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Carers and Volunteers, to be our special guest to deliver a speech and to hand out certificates to the participants.

Our event received such a huge support, with many special guests attending including Members of Parliament Steve McGhie, Bernie Finn and Katie Hall. We also had representatives from local councils especially Cr Lucinda Congreve, the Mayor of Brimbank Council, and we had Josephine Beer and Jennifer Pascoe, from the Volunteer team of the Department of Health and Human Services – who provided us with funding for the programme.

The event was a great demonstration of what community and cooperation is about. Everyone gathered and worked for the greater community. Volunteer West received so much support from local organisations and businesses. In particular we would like to thank the Hobsons Bay Mens’ Shed for their generous support to transport and set up equipment and plants. We were also very lucky to have three community groups from the West provide us with enjoyable culturally–diverse entertainment on the day.

Despite such a cold and rainy day, everyone had a great time talking and sharing their inspiring stories of how volunteers have supported and shaped their lives and communities and have brought all cultures closer to each other.

More photos from the event can be found on our Facebook page here: http://bit.ly/2FBClkY

List of the organisations that attended the programme: