Our volunteers are the heart of what we do here at Happiness Co. In light of National Volunteer Week, we asked some of our volunteers what being a volunteer means to them!
A message from our CEO, Julian Pace:
You can’t do incredible things without incredible people and our volunteers are a representation of the amazing impact that we’ve been able to make at Happiness Co.
A huge thank you to all our volunteers, from those on the ground volunteering at events, our ambassadors who are the love and support in our individual programs, to our board members who volunteer their time and wisdom behind the scenes and all our volunteers in between! We could not do what we do without the love and support of you all.
To all the other incredible volunteers out there working with other organisations, thank you for all you do to make this world better.
Reanda Robson – Ambassador
Why do you volunteer your time as an Ambassador?
I love to help people and share my knowledge and personal experiences to inspire and empower others.
What has being an Ambassador brought to your life?
Where do I begin? It has brought so many beautiful, amazing and inspiring people into my life. It has brought love, friendships, happiness and a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings. I am so grateful for each and every experience and opportunity I have received with being an ambassador.
What’s your favourite thing about being an ambassador?
The love, the community, the growth and seeing people come into their magic!
Athena Taliz – Hero & Volunteer
How have you volunteered with Happiness Co?
I am grateful to have spent some time helping out with providing dinner and other food supplies to people in need who are offered this wonderful service every week. I also joined the team to head to different locations around Perth to supply families and children with meaningful books and other resources which focused on children’s mental health. It was a really great opportunity to encourage families to discuss emotions and have important conversations with their children.
Why did you decide to volunteer?
I was looking for opportunities where I could positively impact the community and focus on giving back. Sometimes it can be easy to get caught up with what you can “get” and “achieve” in life and I wanted to refocus on what is actually meaningful and also aligned to my purpose.
How did the experience impact you?
Firstly, I was in awe of the generous spirit of all the other volunteers and how committed they were to help make people’s lives easier and more joyful. I loved interacting with people in the wider community and hearing their personal stories – there is so much wisdom to be learnt. Each experience left me feeling more enriched as a human with a warm, full heart.
Thomas O’Brien – Intern
Why did you choose to volunteer as an intern at Happiness Co?
Aside from my university degree being health promotion, I felt like I had the need to give back in some way or form, while gaining some great experience within the health and well-being industry
What has the experience been like?
The experience has been ultimately rewarding as it has not only taught me about generosity, kindness, service…etc, but it has helped me learn a lot about myself to further develop self-compassion and all that good stuff.
How has volunteering at Happiness Co impacted your life?
The volunteering opportunities help me to realise how much of an impact I’m actually capable of making in this world and drives me to keep developing this level of impact as much as I can going into the future.
If you want to be part of our advocacy and if you are interested in volunteering at Happiness Co, you may contact us here or email us at wecare@happinessco.org.