As National Volunteer Week approaches, hundreds of volunteer-led organisations in the Caboolture and wider Moreton Bay region are gearing up to put their best foot forward.
From 18 May to 24 May, volunteers across Australia will be celebrated for their hard work and dedication to their respective causes.
The Caboolture branch of Rosies Friends On The Street has a volunteer-led team that focuses on providing connection and warmth to Caboolture locals.
Rosies Caboolture Deputy Branch Coordinator Jan Youngman said the organisation had been operating for nearly 40 years with 15 locations across Queensland.
“We have been established here in Caboolture for 20 years, and every Friday night, we do outreach in the car park diagonally opposite the Caboolture Train Station,” Jan said.
“We provide a safe space for those who are experiencing homelessness (or are) socially isolated.”
How Volunteers Create Connection and Community Support in Caboolture
Rosies Caboolture has a team of 30 volunteers, with five volunteers rostered on every Friday night.
“Each week, they meet to prepare the van at 6pm, then head onto the street at 7.30 to 9.30pm, then back to our hub to tidy up,” Jan said.
“We also have volunteers who sort, pack and store our donated supplies during the week. We (also) have a maintenance man for our van….”
To continue their contribution to the community, Rosies Caboolture often takes out year 12 students and teachers from St Benedict’s, St Columban’s and St Eugene’s to volunteer.
“I am incredibly proud of all our volunteers and the unique bond and relationships that exist within the team,” Jan said.
“This special bond is very evident in the way they interact with our patrons on the street. We have a good mix of males, females, young and more mature within each team.
“The commitment of the team and the importance of ‘being there’ every Friday night is so important to all our volunteers.
“The relationships formed with some of our patrons being present every Friday night have contributed to the role our volunteers play in reaching out to the vulnerable, accepting them as they are, and welcoming them into our safe space.”
Read more stories from The Caboolture Guide print magazine here:
- Caboolture Connect: Updates from the Community
- What’s Hot Around Town
- Chamber Chat
- Podcast Review: Uncanny
- Movie Review: German Film Festival
- Fish of the Month
- Organic Gardening in May
- Kumbartcho Sanctuary Offers Nature, Education and Family Fun
- Moreton Bay Anywhere Festival – Expect the Unexpected
- Mrs CoffeeLicious Country Market Brings Local Producers Together
- Heritage Day brings History, Wildlife, and Family Fun
- Burpengary Station: A Railway Crossing That Grew With the Community
- Meet Rural Fiction Author Heather Reyburn at Burpengary Library
- Venturing into a World of Fun, Friendship and Confidence
- Red Ride Rises Against Domestic Violence
- Celebrating Our Nurses This International Nurses Day
- Permablitz Caboolture – Growing Together
- Breaking Barriers and Scoring Goals
- Under Eights Week Celebrates 70th Anniversary
