A message from Ron Hooton, Vision Australia CEO
I’d like to take the opportunity to express my gratitude for each and every volunteer who has contributed time, effort, and passion to Vision Australia.
The theme for National Volunteer Week this year, is ‘Something for Everyone,’ and the broad range of roles our volunteers undertake is proof that there is something for everyone at Vision Australia.
We have volunteers helping at events, providing administration support at local offices, supporting clients in recreation programs, and even becoming puppy carers for our Seeing Eye Dog puppies.
Regardless of the role, the dedication of our volunteers makes a profound difference for Vision Australia and the blindness and low vision community.
The contribution of our volunteers, no matter how big or small, have a ripple effect that touches countless lives. Each moment a Vision Australia volunteers spends with us brings us closer to achieving our shared vision of a more inclusive and accessible world for people who are blind or have low vision.
I want to express my deepest appreciation for the continued support of all of our volunteers. Your kindness, generosity, and dedication inspire us all to strive for excellence in everything we do -we are making a tangible difference, building a brighter future for generations to come.
It's important our volunteers know that we simply couldn't do what we do without you. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for being a driving force behind Vision Australia.
By the numbers
Each and every Vision Australia volunteer plays a vital role in how we’re able to support people who are blind or have low vision across Australia.
In the last 12 months, we were fortunate to be supported by more than 1,650 volunteers across all areas of Vision Australia, and this is just a snapshot of the amazing contribution they made!
Over the past 12 months, our volunteers have given an amazing amount of their time to Vision Australia, including:
- 30,000 hours of back-office support
- 6,000 hours of support for our client services teams
- 2,500 hours supporting our fundraising efforts
- 27,000 hours producing, presenting and more with Vision Australia Radio.
Every week, our volunteers have a direct positive impact in the lives of our clients, as shown by the 17,473 hours of Telelink sessions they facilitated or the 46,370 hours of recreation and community activities they supported in the past year.
Our Seeing Eye Dog program is also fortunate to have amazing volunteer support. Over the past year, 220 Seeing Eye Dog puppies were lovingly cared for by our volunteer puppy carers before they are ready to enter training.
While we’re grateful for everyone of volunteers, we owe a special thanks to our long-serving volunteers. We have 318 volunteers who have been volunteering with us for 10 or more years, 22 of whom have been volunteering for 30 years or more.