The spirit of giving
Date Posted: Thursday, June 21, 2007Author: Nastassja Johnston
Community
Latest Articles:
- God’s word is a mirror
- Saving energy, saving the environment
- The importance of training our children
- Bermuda’s bike laws - don’t punish responsible riders
- Conscription and the young black male
- Parenting: why court isn’t the answer
- Bermuda 2008: Tourism and Hospitality
- The possibilities and pitfalls of growing up in Bermuda
- Amsterdam: a gem of a city
- My love affair with vintage
Search International News:
Volunteer work has increased in popularity amongst Bermudians with at least 44 per cent of the population taking part in nonprofit activities and these numbers seem destined to increase due to the creation of the Bermuda Volunteer Centre (BVC) website.
Developed by the Centre on Philanthropy, it promotes over 200 nonprofit activities and offers Bermudians a chance to learn about volunteer activities they can partake in to help improve their community. Activities range from feeding and caring for feral cats or zoo animals to business intern positions. Individuals who think they cannot volunteer because they don’t have the time or aren’t qualified would benefit from visiting the site, which has detailed time schedules as well as age requirements for all activities.
According to the BVC programme director Lindell Williams, the site is a convenient place where volunteers can keep track of the amount of time they have volunteered. This is particularly useful for students who are required to volunteer as a part of their academic careers.
She says: “We wanted to start the site to encourage volunteerism. It is a site that makes volunteering convenient. Students can keep track of the hours that they have volunteered and people who are not sure about what organization they should volunteer with will find the site convenient.”
She says is an online, interactive way to link volunteers with nonprofits and to engage the entire island in the spirit of giving back. The nonprofits can sign on to post details of available volunteer positions while volunteers can visit the site to choose a desired charity. Nonprofit organizations can also post bulletins and news letters for volunteers to access online. According to the Bermuda Volunteer Centre their site is an online, interactive way to link volunteers with nonprofits, and to engage the entire island in the spirit of giving back.
Bermuda’s nonprofit sector is extremely active and there are more than 300 registered charities. Just this week the Family Centre (TFC) held their 1st Annual Golf Tournament fundraiser at Belmont Hills. The charity, which provides support to children and families, hopes the event will raise $100,000. Earlier this month a record number of ducks took part in the annual Rubber Duck Derby, a charity race that raised more than $150,000 for Agape House. Over the past decade this event has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the hospice, thanks in no small part to the support provided by hundreds of volunteers.
While most volunteers never hope to be recognized for the hours they dedicate to the community, CableVision celebrates their achievements each quarter with the CableVision Community Service Awards. In addition, the company hosts a biannual “Salute to Service” awards banquet, which honours members of the community who have dedicated their time and energy into providing charitable service. Past recipients of the award have included Valerie Bull who volunteers with the Bermuda Hospital Auxiliary, Gladys Madeiros who works with Meals on Wheels and 22-year-old Liam Anderson who volunteers with St John Ambulance Brigade.
In 2005 Fern Wade, Administrator of the Hands of Love Mission, was honoured with a Cablevision Community Service Award. Describing why she volunteers, she says: “I love to see people happy. I don’t worry about me. It’s not about me, it’s all about we. We are our neighbour’s keeper. We are investing in people, one person at a time.”
Mrs Wade has been volunteering for over 30 years during which time she has hosted an annual Christmas dinner on Court Street. She is also credited as creator of the shoe box Christmas present scheme in which people donate shoe boxes filled with gifts for children during holiday season.
Mrs Wade dedicates her days to the sorting and distribution of donated clothing and preserved foods at the Hands of Love Mission - an organization dedicated to giving members of the community a hand up. The mission benefits homeless people and single parents who find clothing and food to be overly expensive.
Visitors to the Hands of Love Mission on Cedar Hill can find almost anything they may need such as used clothing that looks brand new, shoes, household items and furniture. All items in the store have been given by members of the community who want to give back.
Mrs. Wade believes that volunteering is very important and that the spirit of giving should be instilled in individuals from a young age.
She said: “Once you give your heart to the lord volunteering is about humanity. Volunteering is a part of life that you want to do because the dividend is everlasting. The spirit of volunteerism lives on beyond death if you teach others to volunteer. Children should be taught to give from a young age. Just giving a piece of their sandwich or sharing a cookie can to teach them not to only think of themselves.”
To find out more about the Bermuda Volunteer Centre visit www.centreonphilanthropy.org