The Change Makers

During National Volunteers Week, Southern Cross Care held afternoon tea and happy hour events across multiple sites to celebrate volunteers, who are ‘The Change Makers’ in our community.

Our volunteers are so important to the way we deliver our Better for life vision and provide invaluable support for the health and well-being of residents and clients.

They take on roles in everything from running weekly quizzes in Residential Care that assist with social engagement to driving a buggy in Retirement Living to help residents get to appointments or events.

One volunteer who has taken on several roles is Gerard Vallada.

He is a well-known face in Waterford Retirement Living and has been nominated for a Southern Stars Award four times. Gerard first became involved in volunteering with Southern Cross Care in 2011.

“I started volunteering in the nursing home, wheeling them to the mass and back, taking the food to them and so on,” he said.

“And eventually I got involved with all the volunteer jobs.”

With his sister also living in Waterford, Gerard decided to move into the Retirement Living community after his marriage ended in 2013.

“When I came here I was so shattered because of traumatic experiences and I got a big welcome because I had a sister here. They welcomed me and knowing my circumstances they really went out of their way to help me,” he said.

“So I thought this is my way of giving back.”

So far Gerard has been a buggy driver, meal deliverer, volunteer IT expert, sacristan at Mass and Rosary services in Carmelite Residential Care and volunteer waiter in the Crystal Cafe.

He also volunteers every afternoon for St Vincent de Paul by visiting people in need and connecting them with services for food, clothes, transport and communications.

It is people like Gerard, who have the drive to give back to their community, and who were at the heart of the National Volunteer Week celebrations.

To all our volunteers, we say a heartfelt thank you.