News

Guide Dogs Victoria celebrates National Volunteer Week

This week Guide Dogs Victoria has joined in the celebrations of National Volunteer Week, 20-26 May. We are taking the time to recognize the amazing efforts of over 600 volunteers who support us to deliver our services every day.

Volunteering at Guide Dogs Victoria can take you in so many directions, and we share some reflections from Jeanette, a volunteer with Guide Dogs for 17 years.

“I wear many hats at GDV when it comes to volunteering!

I started out as a Puppy Raiser and two years later I was asked if I would like to join a group of volunteers driving clients, with their Guide Dogs, to appointments. Following this, I took on the role of delivering puppies to first time Puppy Raisers, which led to a role in puppy nurturing. These are just a few of the many jobs you could hope to be involved in at GDV!

I still volunteer every Tuesday in the admin area where we have a ‘hoot’ of a time while we tackle many types of tasks. The company is wonderful and provides a great environment for my Guide Dog pup to learn how to settle for quite a few hours. Over my years volunteering, I have now raised 14 dogs for GDV.

I most certainly recommended volunteering with GDV to family and friends as it is a wonderful organisation, not only providing Guide Dogs for its clients with low vision and blindness, but also offering many other vision services to people of all ages, from children to the elderly. Many members of the public only know of GDV working with Guide Dogs, and I like to make them aware of the range of vision service available.

Being a part of GDV for many years now, I am looking forward to the campus redevelopment planned to start later this year. It will provide a new and fresh environment for not only clients, staff and volunteers but for the whole wider community to appreciate and see what wonderful work is being achieved at GDV in supporting people with vision loss.

Having a beautiful Guide Dog pup in your household to raise has been so wonderful, but the best part about volunteering has been the wonderful friendships I have formed over the years.

I have been fortunate to form long lasting friendships, which have enabled us to travel overseas and experience some wonderful holidays together.

I feel very proud to walk down the street and see the smile that Guide Dog pup has brings to peoples’ faces or to be stopped and have a chat. I have learnt over the years that you need to be a very good listener and have plenty of time when you are out and about with your Guide Dog pup. It’s just wonderful!”

Thank you Jeanette, and thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers! Happy National Volunteer Week.