Fourteen-year-old students Gayatri Juneja and Zoe Day have joined the volunteer ranks at Hazeldean Transition Care in Williamstown, as the community celebrates its unsung heroes for National Volunteer Week (May 12-18).
The pair, who attend Werribee’s Suzanne Cory High School, are among the hundreds of healthcare volunteers in the western suburbs.
Zoe said students of the select-entry school did three months of community service as part of their studies, averaging one hour a week.
“I just like the feeling that you can give something back to the community,” she said.
Gayatri said it was a misconception that volunteering was for older people.
“For the first day, we played trivia with the people at the care unit,” she said.
“It’s a really good experience. I think that a lot of people should do it and it’s often misconstrued as something that people of the older age group do. Younger people should do it too.”
An exhibition revealing the stories of local volunteers is on display at the Hobsons Bay Civic Centre foyer from 9am-5pm weekdays until May 30.
Unsung Heroes features stories and photographs of 23 local volunteers and highlights the wide variety of volunteering opportunities available in Hobsons Bay.
Volunteer West has information officers available every Friday at various locations in Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay to help residents who are interested in volunteering For more details, phone 9398 1233.
