Fran's heart for going 'above and beyond': National Volunteer Week
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- 2 min read
BY KIRRALEE NICOLLE
With National Volunteer Week upon us, The Salvation Army is celebrating the tireless and heartfelt work of the thousands of volunteers who regularly offer their time and expertise across our services. This year also marks the United Nations’ International Volunteer Year, in which the UN hopes to recognise volunteerism as a key driver of sustainable development. For this piece, Frances Owen, who volunteers at Seaforth Gardens Aged Care Centre in Gosnells, WA, and Seaforth Gardens Chaplain Tim Letcher spoke about the value of volunteering in an aged care environment.
When Frances, who goes by Fran, began volunteering with The Salvation Army 16 years ago, it was because her mother had been a resident at Seaforth Gardens.
“I was coming down to see my mum [when] I got approached by one of the ladies [who] said, ‘Would you be interested in doing volunteer work for us?’” Fran says. “And yeah, [I] started from there.”
Fran now runs the centre’s weekly Wednesday morning bingo program, which began with about 10 residents, and now boasts up to 23 attendees. As she leads the group, Fran likes to help each person experience a taste of success. Each winner then receives a chocolate bar.
“I like to see everyone win, and it's not possible, but it's lovely if everyone can,” she says.
“I really enjoy coming down, I like having a laugh with them. And I really enjoy my morning out.”
Fran says while some people are put off by the paperwork involved in maintaining clearances and training required to volunteer in an aged care setting, Chaplain Tim Letcher has been a great help in this area.
“Tim is really good,” Fran says. “He's just helped me to do my police [check] again, because I can't do computer work.”
Fran is one of about 20 volunteers at Seaforth Gardens, and Tim says making sure all the volunteers are on the same page and feel recognised is a crucial part of his work.
He says once a year the team organises an afternoon or morning tea to show appreciation, and also provides Christmas gifts for each volunteer. He says the staff are also constantly touching base to ensure that the volunteers had everything they needed to thrive.
“If they have the same expectations that we do in terms of our care for the residents and things like their requirements for police checks and all that kind of stuff, if that's all on the same page, that's going to be really helpful for everyone,” he says.
Tim says Fran is an example of a volunteer who always goes above and beyond, despite having her own commitments, which include caring for an ageing husband. He says she often buys the chocolate bingo prizes out of her own money, and when days are rearranged at short notice, she is flexible.
“We love our volunteers,” he adds. “They do amazing, and we love to promote all that they do. They give up a lot, and some of them go to extraordinary lengths. They do a great job.”
