Volunteers Week 2024 - Volunteers represent the best of humanity

Volunteers Week is celebrated between 3rd and 9th June this year. Here Gill Wendelken, the Voluntary Services Manager at Saint Francis Hospice, says a huge thank you to all the incredible volunteers for the contribution they make to every area of the charity.  

2024 seems to be quite the year for big celebrations.  We have our own 40th Birthday on 23rd July, but the first 40th celebration is that of the UK Volunteer Week.  As I was already working for the hospice when this special week was introduced in 1984, I thought this was a fantastic idea - an annual event acknowledging the incredible numbers of people who volunteer around the UK doing such wonderful work helping others.  

Volunteers represent the best of humanity

When holding our own annual volunteer ‘thank you’ events, my department is asked for statistics - number of volunteers, total number of hours given to our services, how many helping in each part of the organisation etc.  I appreciate these are important facts; but there is, however, one thing that cannot be measured, but which is so important and has been a constant in the past, in the present day and I predict will be a constant in the future.   

I am referring to humanity.  I think this sums up our volunteers in one word and which is impossible to measure as a statistic.  People showing understanding and kindness towards other people; a common cause that unites people; people giving generously, monetary or time.  A voluntary organisation needs this varied support to thrive.  And this hospice is so lucky to have this in abundance. 

Volunteers give the gift of their time, skills and experience

As Voluntary Services Manager, it has been a privilege to see this incredible constancy through our 40 years of service to the community. 

Our valued volunteers give their time, skills and experience without needing to know the names of everyone they are helping or how the people receiving our services are helped.  A truly selfless act that has such an amazing impact on our service users.  Our volunteers are an amazing group of human beings - thank you to everyone.   

I'd like to finish by sharing a quote by the American author Sherry Anderson, “Volunteers don’t get paid; not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless.”