For AnglicareSA volunteer-turned-employee Prerna, it has been a whirlwind couple of months.

In the space of six months, she moved to Australia, married, and started volunteering within AnglicareSA’s Community Aged Care team, before securing full-time work within the same team.

Being new to Australia, Prerna viewed volunteering as a way to learn about and immerse herself in Australian culture.

“Volunteering wasn’t just about giving back – it also became a key part of my integration into Australian life,” Prerna said.

With more than a decade of experience as a data analyst, Prerna knew she had skills that could help support AnglicareSA’s administration processes in aged care.

“Volunteering in administration allowed me to use my skill set to help others,” she said.

“My skills in data analytics translated well into maintaining accurate records or identifying ways to streamline tasks, with the end goal being to improve service delivery for our customers.”

Prerna had been volunteering for two months when she saw a paid position posted on AnglicareSA’s internal vacancies job board. With the support and encouragement of Volunteer Coordinator Sadie Sandery, Prerna applied and got the job.

Prerna said her time volunteering provided her with a new set of skills and a deeper appreciation for how AnglicareSA supported older people, which had been beneficial in helping her adjust to her new role.

“The skills I developed during volunteering, such as understanding the needs of aged care customers and supporting the team in administrative tasks, prepared me for this transition into paid work,” she said.

“As a new migrant, there were challenges – adapting to a new work culture and building a network from scratch. But through volunteering and working at AnglicareSA, I have met incredible people and felt a sense of belonging.”

Prerna said she hadn’t just professionally developed during her time with AnglicareSA, but also personally.

“It’s given me the chance to integrate into my new community, apply my skills in meaningful ways, and make a real difference,” she said.  

Are you interested in volunteering in aged care?

With the number of Australians over 85 expected to double over the next decade, it’s no secret more aged care workers and volunteers are needed to keep up with the demand for care and support.

Volunteers are an integral part of our support services – their generosity and commitment enable us to deliver a broad range of services to the South Australian community.

We have a wide range of volunteer opportunities across our residential and community aged care services, including:

• social programs support
• home visiting
• phone support
• phone surveys
• administration

For information about our current volunteer opportunities, click here.

Working full-time as a School Services Officer (SSO), studying to be a drama teacher, and volunteering with AnglicareSA’s Star Bear program, Seb is passionate about working with children and making a positive impact in their lives.

“A lot of people ask me why I would work five days a week with children and then volunteer to spend all weekend with them too,” Seb laughed.

“But I enjoy working in schools. Children are so fascinating, and teach me a thing or two.”

Funded by donors and almost entirely run by volunteers, AnglicareSA’s Star Bear program provides free weekend camps three times a year to support children and their families experiencing grief and loss.

The Star Bear camp provides grief support for children aged from six to 13 years, while Star Bear Family camps cater for families with children and young people aged from five to 17 years.

Seb is a trained volunteer mentor and works one-on-one with a different child at each camp to help them in their journey through grief and loss.

“I love that the camp teaches children that everyone goes through grief and they are not alone in their emotions,” Seb said.

“While everyone is there because they’ve lost someone, how they process grief differs.

“I hope each camper I mentor has a great time on camp, but also takes that positive experience and makes it a permanent mindset after the camp.”

With the support of volunteers like Seb, the Star Bear program has supported around 1,100 children and their families since 2002.

Seb said the program was about more than simply providing a safe environment for children and young people to process their grief – it was also about helping them feel like kids again. 

“While there is a serious side to the camp, the campers are also there to have fun with activities such as sports, games, arts and crafts, and tubing. I’ve done my fair share of running and tiring myself out,” he said with a laugh.

Seb said volunteering at Star Bear had been transformative and encouraged others to give it a go.

“Volunteering has been such a wonderful experience so far,” he said.

“I’ve met so many amazing volunteers who I am lucky enough to call my friends, and it is rewarding to know that I have been able to create a positive experience for the campers.”

From 20-26 May 2024, it is National Volunteer Week – a time to celebrate and recognise the amazing contributions volunteers make to our community. At AnglicareSA, we’re proud to have around 300 volunteers who give their time to support people in need.

AnglicareSA is looking for volunteers like Seb to join the Star Bear program and make a difference in the lives of families experiencing grief and loss. To be a Star Bear volunteer, you do not need to have experienced grief or loss, but you will need some security checks to complete training modules. AnglicareSA will support you in obtaining these.

To register your interest in volunteering or to seek further information, please email [email protected]

For Maggie and Mary, volunteering is the perfect fit.

“I grew up in a family focused on giving back, and I think that encouraged me to be an active volunteer,” Maggie said.

Mary added: “You get so much out of volunteering – meeting people, hearing their stories and being able to help them.”

The pair volunteer at AnglicareSA’s Thread Together service, which provides people in need with brand-new clothes that would otherwise end up in landfill.

For Mary, her love of textiles and professional background in textile restoration made volunteering at Thread Together sound intriguing.

“I’ve worked with textiles all my life and hated the idea of clothes going into landfill,” Mary said.

“I loved the concept of being able to help provide people in need with decent clothes that will last them a long time, while making an effort to stop textile waste.”

Maggie, who has been volunteering at Thread Together for nine months, said her career as a paediatric emergency doctor caring for others naturally lent itself to volunteering.

“I have worked with many adults and teenagers experiencing homelessness and also within the domestic violence space,” Maggie said.

“I retired last year and wanted to continue to connect with and help the vulnerable groups of people I used to care for.”

With the support of volunteers like Mary and Maggie, the Thread Together service has clothed more than 29,000 South Australians since 2018.

Maggie and Mary agreed the program was about more than simply providing clothes to people in need.

“Brand-new clothes give people confidence and a sense of dignity,” Maggie said. “And the best part is that the clothes are theirs – they’re not second-hand or unfashionable.”

“It is also vital for our customers to have someone who can help them find new clothes without judgement.”

Mary said: “Some customers had never had an opportunity to choose their own clothes through other providers.

“They just wear whatever they have been given,” Mary said. “To be able to come in and be given the opportunity to browse like they’re in a boutique and choose clothing that represents them is so important.”

She said volunteering never goes out of style and encouraged more people to give it a go.

“There are so many services that are under-supported and under-funded,” Mary said. “Without volunteers, they just wouldn’t happen.”

From 20-26 May 2024, it is National Volunteer Week – an important time to celebrate and recognise the amazing contributions volunteers make to our community. At AnglicareSA, we’re proud to have around 300 volunteers who give their time to support people in need.

We have lots of great volunteering opportunities across our services. If you’re keen to help others, then click here.