HAWC volunteers work with Macquarie University Medical and Physiotherapy students as they take their learning beyond the classroom.

What’s Involved?
Each Session, a HAWC volunteer is paired with two students. If you volunteer, the students will interview you during the Session, asking questions about your health and lifestyle, your medical and social background, and any health issues you may have experienced. By following your progress and learning about your health journey, they will gain a deeper and more meaningful experience of individuals and the barriers they may have faced.

Find out more online and consider signing up today

Contact the HAWC Recruitments Coordinator on (02) 9850 6629 or email fmhhs.placements@mq.edu.au for more information.

It’s official. Volunteering makes unhappy people happier. And with Christmas and a new year around the corner, many of us are thinking about ways we can help others in need.

You might not be aware that continuing full-time and part-time Macquarie staff are entitled to up to two full days of volunteering leave. You (or your team) can volunteer for any non-profit organisation you choose (so long as it meets ATO’s definition of a charitable organisation).

Here are five ideas to inspire you. Happy volunteering!

I care about: people in need

Macquarie is once again supporting North Ryde Community Aid’s Christmas Hamper Drive, which provides food and simple care items for people in need in our local area.

Staff can volunteer to pack hampers on Friday 14 December, deliver hampers on Monday 17 December, or donate food items at various drop off points on campus. See notice in This Week for more details.

Other options: Dress for Success, Wesley Mission Open Wardrobe, Salvation Army.

I care about: animals

If furry friends are close to your heart, head to Monika’s Doggie Rescue at Ingleside where you can help out with walking, feeding or transporting dogs, as well as tasks like kennel preparation or laundry (they do 20 loads a day!).

Other options: The Sydney Dog and Cat Home

I care about: the environment

Last year Conservation Volunteers Australia planted over a million trees and carried out over 2300 environmental surveys. You can help restore and protect our natural environment by volunteering for one of the hundreds of conservation projects carried out by CVA each year.  Find an upcoming project in your area.

Other options: Bushcare@MQ, Friends of Lane Cove National Park

I care about: children and young people

Pass on your love of books and reading by helping Books in Homes gift books to children in disadvantaged and remote circumstances, who often live in ‘bookless homes’.

Other options: CanTeen, Ronald McDonald House

I care about: the elderly

Get your bingo dotters ready and team up with a few colleagues to being joy and valuable social interaction to aged care residents through Wesley Mission’s Tea Scones and Joy program.  You can also volunteer as an individual through their Community Visitors Scheme.

Other options: Meals on Wheels

Find information you need to apply for volunteering leave on Macquarie’s volunteering leave website.

Each year, the Financial Control and Treasury team in Finance commits to utilising Volunteer Leave to reach out and give back to the community. This year, the team decided on Foodbank NSW and ACT Distribution Centre.

Located nearby, this large distribution centre is a not-for-profit organisation that acts as a pantry to the charities and community groups that feed the hungry. Foodbank sources its supplies from the surplus stock of farmers, manufacturers and retailers.

“It was great to see suppliers and supermarkets giving away so much food to the Foodbank which then gets distributed to so many charities,” said Dilani Jayasekera, Financial Reporting Accountant.

The team started their morning with induction and training, where Volunteer Manager Luke spoke of families who find themselves in financial crisis either by incurring large unexpected bills or a parent losing their job, or those in rural communities where drought or crop failures can take months or years to recover from.

“These charities can have such a massive impact on both the physical and mental health of the people in need by providing a nourishing meal in a safe environment,” said Klara Lyons, Group Accounting Manager.

“It really makes me appreciate what we have a lot more than I normally would,” added Komal Patel, Financial Reporting Officer.

Working in pairs, the team packed items for the country orders – charities outside of the Sydney metro area in need of supplies. The Foodbank warehouse has a diverse range of supplies available to the charities including some perishable items such as bread and potatoes and many non-perishable items.

Each team was responsible for picking the orders from the shelves and then loading onto the pallet which was then transferred onto the trucks that afternoon.

“It was really motivating for us to know that the work we did that morning would enable a charity to provide a meal to someone in less than 24 hours,” Klara said.

“There were many volunteers – both corporate and individuals ­– and there was great interaction on the warehouse floor as the experienced volunteers helped us rookies with the Tetris style of packing pallets and also manoeuvring our pallets with the pallet jack. This is a skill!”

Clare Jeffries, Director Financial Control and Treasury, felt the experience really opened the team’s eyes to the diverse range of people who benefit from Foodbank’s services and the tremendous work that needs to happen by organisations to reach out to those in need.

“I would highly recommend staff to use their volunteer days. It was a fantastic experience to work together and we really felt a sense of achievement after we completed our orders.”

To get involved with Volunteer leave, visit the Community Volunteering site or contact volunteering@mq.edu.au.