Most generous in spotlight for National Volunteer Week
When Juleen Angove moved to Launceston in 2019 she was shocked by the amount of roadkill she saw and immediately decided to volunteer with Bonorong Wildlife Rescue.
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"That was what triggered me to go, I couldn't just do nothing. I needed to figure out a way of helping," Ms Angove said.
Ms Angove has been nominated as a finalist for the environment, animal care and conservation award and is one of the millions of Australians being celebrated this week for their generosity and bravery during Volunteering Australia's National Volunteers Week.
Volunteering Australia chief executive Mark Pearce said the "Better Together" campaign was an opportunity for all Australians to "think about the contribution that volunteers made within their communities and nationally".
"Volunteers across the country have stepped up to help their communities through bushfires, floods, and the COVID-19 pandemic in a most practical demonstration of Australian community spirit," Mr Pearce said.
Mr Pearce said it was important that the federal government understood the role volunteers played in society, after two out of three were left unable to work during the pandemic.
"I don't think it [volunteerism] is as well understood as it should be. Its contribution in terms of mental health, in terms of socialisation, in terms of network development, in terms of community development, and at an economic level, which hasn't really been considered," he said.
Chief executive of Volunteering Tasmania Lisa Schimanski said that although the pandemic had strained the sector, it had also demonstrated the strength of the community to support one another in times of crisis.
"There's a lot of community spirit out there, and I think sometimes we lose that in our narrative as a society, and volunteers are some of the best demonstrations of how strong the community actually is," Ms Schimanksi said.
Despite the nomination, Ms Angove remains adamant that it isn't about the accolades and is already looking to volunteer at homelessness services.
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