This year we decided to hold our celebration in Larkin's Bar who kindly offered us the space. In a more relaxed atmosphere of a pub, it gave volunteers a chance to mingle and enjoy the social aspect of what they do. It was nice to see some of our newer sign-ups there and have them interact with our more veteran volunteers and for volunteers to be able to chat with HEYCU staff.
The evening was started by our CEO, Rose, giving her thanks on behalf of the charity and she presented certificates and tokens of gratitude to those who attended. We have started tracking hours on Better Impact and those who had completed 300+ hours volunteering were given a pin badge, those who had completed 400+ hours also got a travel cup and those truly amazing volunteers who have donated 500+ hours were also given a tote bag.
After everyone had had the chance to say hi and catch up, our Schools & Volunteer Coordinator, Nic, also gave thanks to our volunteers for their support over the past year and announced the raffle. As an reward for how many shifts volunteers had signed up to each volunteer had one ticket per shift entered into the raffle on their behalf. 9 prizes were up for grabs, all sourced and donated by staff at HEY Children's University.
Following the raffle, a buffet of food was served and everyone had time to mix and get to know those they may not have met before. Due to us having so many experiences going on, these volunteer events are a wonderful way to all get together and celebrate the work HEYCU does and the kind, generous people that make it happen.