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Vinnies for kids: a volunteer helps out at
KidsKamp
By Alison Chisholm, SVdP
Australians are renowned for their loyalty, generosity and ability to pull together when it comes to
helping another person in need. There is no doubt Australians would be a lot worse off without its volunteers.
In this International Year of Volunteers, The Catholic Weekly will feature articles that
highlight the different types of volunteer work carried out through the St Vincent de Paul Society, as well as celebrating the many wonderful Vinnies volunteer characters.
Our 40,000 volunteers and members,
Australia-wide, are ordinary people helping other ordinary people. It is our belief that no one should be turned away or left hungry or alone: that in a time of crisis, everyone deserves a helping hand.
It is
the ability of St Vincent de Paul, as a Society, to pull its members together in an organised manner that makes our volunteers such a force in assisting our fellow brothers and sisters.
There are two types of
volunteers in the St Vincent de Paul Society: conference members and auxiliary members.
Conference members are men and women who belong to the Catholic community and want to put their faith into action. Their
mission is to live out the gospel message, to seek out Christ in the poor and hope that those they visit see Christ’s love extended to them through the helping hand of the Society’s members.
Conference
members meet on a regular basis and carry out the core work of the Society, home visitation. Just as important as the material aid our members deliver (rental vouchers, electricity bill assistance, food vouchers),
these visits provide a friendly ear and company to people who are lonely and feeling abandoned.
Conference members not only carry out home visitation, they are also responsible for all of the works of the
Society. Because of their privileged position of visiting people in their homes, they are able to identify many of the needs of people in their local area.
Once members identify these needs, programs
(special works) are designed to meet those needs. Some of the special works conferences have developed include:
•centres (retail)
•budget counselling
•aged care
•pregnancy counselling
•emergency accommodation
•women and children’s refuges
•homeless men’s hostels
•outreach services
•kids camps
•night patrols
•services for the mentally ill
•foodbank/meals centre
Management committees, consisting of conference members, guide all these special works.
While the average age of St Vincent de Paul’s members is 60, there are members who are as young as 13. In fact, in NSW
and the ACT there are approximately 1,500 St Vincent de Paul members below the age of 30.
For the younger members, the Society has youth and young adult conferences. They are involved in all aspects of the
work of the St Vincent de Paul Society, but have a focus on helping young people.
Auxiliary members are volunteers who do not belong to a conference. They can be from all walks of life, any creed or race who
are happy to volunteer within the spirit and ethos of the St Vincent de Paul Society.
Auxiliary members, as well as conference members, are utilised to help with the everyday running of special works and
programs. This can involve driving a bus, helping with the administration of a special work, sorting clothes at their local centre, serving meals at the local hostel, visiting people on the streets with the night
patrol vans, becoming a budget counsellor or becoming a friend to someone who is suffering from mental illness.
Most Catholic Weekly readers are familiar with the works of the St Vincent de Paul Society. But
how many of you know who in your parish is a St Vincent de Paul volunteer?
There are so many ways people can volunteer to help make their community a better place for all to live, and it is hoped that
learning about some of the volunteer opportunities that are available, and the impact these works make, you also may discover a way to help your local area.
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