‘Giving back to the community’: Vision Australia looking for volunteers

Pam Power is the volunteer partnerships co-ordinator for Vision Australia and said it could not run the services it does without the help of its volunteers.

“We wanted to be able to thank our volunteers for their dedication and passion for Vision Australia radio, we couldn’t do it without them,” Ms Power said.

“For our volunteers, it’s about giving back to the community and knowing they can bridge that gap to help people who are vision impaired access news in their area.”

The station, located on the corner of Archer St and Channel Rd, is powered by a team of volunteers who turn print into audio, reading the region’s news to people who are vision impaired.

Being National Volunteer Week, Vision Australia Shepparton is encouraging members of the community to step up for volunteering roles at both the station and in client services.

“We have three roles within radio,” Ms Power said.

“We have technical operators, who are people that run the computer and connect us to the transmitter; a presenter, who runs the program; and a reader, who helps with the reading.

“We do have a client services role, too, as we often get requests from clients who may need support from home.

“This could be walking them to the supermarket or going around and helping them practise using technology.”

At the radio station, Vision Australia is looking for people to volunteer whatever hours they can, with the usual roster working off two hours per person per week.

You can apply to be a Vision Australia volunteer through the application form on Seek or through the Vision Australia website.

For more information, call Pam Power on 0456 980 149 or visit the office, by appointment only, at 3/12-14 Fryers St, Shepparton.

Check out more pictures from the Vision Australia morning tea as captured by News photographer Megan Fisher.