To coincide with Volunteers Week and the launch of our report on volunteering in Scotland, Janice Malone from our Volunteering in NHSScotland Programme gives thanks all of the staff who give up their time.
Every year as my team and I begin to think about and plan for our Volunteers’ Week activity, I have a very distinct sense and feeling that no matter what we do to thank and to celebrate the efforts of volunteers will ever be enough to convey the levels of gratitude that I feel for the gift that volunteers give to our society.
Every 1-7th June volunteer managers up and down the country say their own personal thank you to their volunteers, we all shout from the rooftops – well, all over social media really – saying thank you to volunteers in all sorts of creative and fun ways, but it never really feels like enough.
What more could we do? What different ways to celebrate the incredible value that volunteering brings to our lives? As professionals in health and care, we can see the positive impact that volunteers can make, every single day when we are working alongside them.
We say thank you every day, through striving to provide the best volunteer experience for our volunteers.
I am a volunteer, I am honoured to have the opportunity to be a trustee at SupportED, a small eating disorders support charity. The satisfaction I get from supporting the organisation to grow and to thrive is why I volunteer.
Inspiring
I also work in the world of volunteering, and have done for some 15 plus years. It is the most inspiring line of work, being there to create the opportunities for people to get involved in volunteering; to champion volunteering as a profession; to ensure that volunteers are treated with the respect that they deserve; to influence change in the sector. I consider myself to be very fortunate.
But when I really think about it, volunteering is all about the people, it’s about giving and kindness. Millions of people all over the world, who decide to get involved in something that they care deeply about.
Millions of people who give their own time freely. Millions of people who make an incredible difference to the people, causes and communities that they support. What’s not to love about that?
From my heart to yours, if you are a volunteer, have volunteered in the past or are thinking about volunteering – THANK YOU.
More information
- Find out more about Volunteers’ Week 2022 at https://volunteersweek.scot/ . This is the 38th Volunteers’ Week, with the focus this year on saying thank you to those who give up their time to help others. Find out more on social media, using the hashtag #VolunteersWeekScot
Our Volunteering in NHSScotland Programme drives forward the volunteering agenda in NHSScotland through effective leadership, governance, consultancy and expert advice for volunteering across NHSScotland. Read our Volunteering in NHSScotland Programme Annual Report 2021-22.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland Blog 