2011 NSW Volunteer of the Year winners

Loki Ball of Broadway was named the 2011 NSW Youth Volunteer of the Year for his outstanding work with a range of community, youth and education organisations, undertaking a range of tasks, including: Founding Director of Sydney Youth, Chair of the Australian Red Cross NSW International Humanitarian Law, Group Manager (Legal Services) of Sydney Homeless, Founding Committee Member of the UTS Brennan Justice and Leadership Program, Equity Director of the UTS Law Students’ Society, Director of the UTS Advocacy and Human Rights Committee, Committee Member of the UTS Faculty of Law Widening Participation Group, Volunteer at the Matthew Talbot Hostel for Homeless Men, Volunteer with the City of Sydney Council Homelessness Unit, Aboriginal Legal Access Program Coordinator with Community Legal Centres NSW, and Paralegal with Redfern Legal Centre. Loki has consistently demonstrated a commitment to voluntary service, youth engagement and social inclusion. Typically, Loki volunteers between 38 and 42 hours per week, whilst studying part time. Loki's unparalleled commitment is truly inspirational and a testament to his character. Loki received a $1,000 NFP donation, trophy and prize pack. 

Mohit Tolani of Strathfield South was awarded the first ever NSW Highly Commended Youth Volunteer of the Year Award. Mohit is a volunteer mentor for Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) as well as being involved with the learning and extra-curricular involvement of refugee kids and young adults through the Australian League of Immigration Volunteers. He volunteers as a volunteer leader and a camp facilitator with Edmund Rice Camps NSW. Mohit has also volunteered with The Centre for Volunteering’s Student Community Involvement Program and the Institute for Advancing Community Engagement. In addition he volunteers with the Institute for Advancing Community Engagement (IACE), the Multicultural Youth Network, within Om: The Hindu Society, the Eastern Suburbs Rotaract Club and has held the position of Secretary of SCISOC and the Sydney University Medical Science Society. Mohit received a $500 NFP donation, trophy and prize pack.

Margaret Jones of Birchgrove was awarded the 2011 NSW Highly Commended Senior Volunteer of the Year. She has volunteered with Redfern Legal Centre for 34 years where she is a constant presence in the front office. Taking two buses twice a week, the sprightly 83 year old braves all weathers in order to answer client enquiries, arrange appointments and help with whatever other job needs done. Her natural rapport with disadvantaged individuals is a valuable attribute, and her genuine interest in their predicaments make it easier particularly for Aboriginal and immigrant clients to access legal assistance. Always on hand to help out and teach the Centre’s student volunteers, Margaret’s forthright manner and tireless commitment to resolving the varied problems clients are facing makes her an important asset not only for the Centre, but also for the local community. Margaret’s also provides her services as a JP at Balmain Local Court, where the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Assistance Scheme particularly values her reliable presence. Margaret received a $500 NFP donation, trophy and prize pack.

Broadmeadow’s Samaritans Friendship House Volunteer Team was named the 2011 NSW Volunteer Team of the Year.

The team’s two volunteer coordinators and nine volunteer members assist the House’s four week accommodation and support program for men exiting prison. To implement a client’s action plan a volunteer and car is allocated each Monday to Friday to assist clients to work through their plan. Team members ring the clients each evening to arrange the next day’s activities. These activities include Parole, Centrelink, Housing NSW, Doctors, and Programs, obtaining clothing, food or just a cuppa. Volunteers follow a planned approach in phoning previous clients for follow up support and are in contact with some clients after three or four years. The Team received a $1,000 donation for Samaritans Friendship House, trophy and prize pack.

Richard High of St Ives Chase is the 2011 NSW Corporate Volunteer of the Year Award which recognises volunteers who are sponsored by their employers and released from employment to carry out volunteer activities. Richard, who is employed by One - Path ANZ Wealth, was recognised for his volunteer work with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Richard has been involved in a number of programs in a volunteer capacity with Cerebral Palsy Alliance over the last 10 years. Richard has always had an active role in promoting a fundraising and participating in the Blackmore’s Bridgerun – coordinating between 20-40 volunteers from his company to volunteer by pushing children and young adult clients of Cerebral Palsy Alliance in their wheelchairs for the last 10 years. More recently Richard has become an official Community Champion helping to promote volunteering and corporate engagement with Cerebral Palsy Alliance. While participating in this role, Richard has also participated as a volunteer mentor in the Ignition Youth Mentoring Program working with a young 19 year old with cerebral palsy. Richard received a trophy and prize pack.

The one-off 2011 NSW Excellence in NFP Management Award winner is the Bathurst Information and Neighbourhood Centre (BINC). BINC’s volunteers are an integral part of its service delivery. Volunteers are involved in LEAP, TAX help, computer tutoring, Migrant Refuge Mentoring, Data Entry, collating statistics, Gardening, Language Tutoring, Community Visitors Scheme, Wrapped with Love, Management committee, reception on the Front Desk, completing and compiling the community Diary, Following up people referred to volunteering, Eisteddfod catering, individual projects such as the Christmas Project, and the Volunteer Relationship Team. During the course of the year BINC has involved over 200 volunteers in the delivery of it programs. Their tireless contribution had improved the quality of live for many Bathurst residents. BINC’s volunteers are treated in exactly the same way as paid staff and they are regularly involved in brain storming and quality improvement sessions. BINC’s management committee, made up wholly of volunteers, continually reviews BINC’s organisational values and purpose of “making Bathurst a better place to live”. BINC received a $3000 donation, trophy and prize pack.

The 2012 NSW Volunteer of the Year Ambassador was also announced at the ceremony. Jon Dee, Managing Director and founding Chairman of Do Something, was the 2010 NSW 'Australian of the Year', co-founder of Planet Ark, author of Sustainable Growth and instigator of National Recycling Week and the national Recycling Near You website. Jon’s current role is bringing about social and environmental change. He recently initiated and launched the national DoSomethingNearYou website - by typing in their postcode at this site, people can find community groups to join or help in all 551 local government areas around Australia.

The Centre for Volunteering’s CEO, Lynne Dalton, commented on Jon’s latest endeavour last month saying: “DoSomethingNearYou is the biggest development that we’ve had in online volunteering for a decade. The voluntary sector has desperately needed a national community directory like this and we’ve finally got it. It really shows the range of activities and organisations that are available for people to be involved in.”