Surf Coast Shire Council is celebrating community volunteers ahead of National Volunteers Week.
Councillor Adrian Schonfelder said council would acknowledge the contributions of community members with a series of morning and afternoon teas on Monday, May 15 and Thursday, May 18.
“This dedicated week is a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate our selfless volunteers, who are in many instances unsung heroes in our communities,” he said.
“They sacrifice that precious thing, their own time, to help our communities tick.
“The scope of their work is immense, and the value of their work simply cannot be measured.”
The 2023 National Volunteer Week follows The Change Makers theme and celebrates volunteers’ ability to drive change and inclusion.
Torquay community volunteer Michael Judd is the founder and force behind Surf Coast men’s group DIIGG Wellbeing.
Mr Judd will be a guest speaker at a youth event held at Wurdi Baierr Stadium on May 15 and said he believed that contributing was a person’s core need in life.
“It’s about operating out of the heart,” he said.
“It’s about serving others and making a difference in our community, taking your eyes off yourself and helping someone else.
“If you deny people the right to contribute you can actually deny them feeling good and wanting to help.”
Council will also hold a celebration for members of the Community Asset Committee that manage halls and recreation reserves on behalf of the council and will be held in the council’s chamber on May 24.
Volunteers are welcome to attend any National Volunteer Week community celebrations but will require an invitation to attend the Community Asset Committee and youth events.
