National Volunteer Week (NVW) 2017 will be held from 18 to 24 June. Volunteering is good for you, your community and for the social development of the country because it helps build the “social fabric” that keeps us connected and engaged in our world.

Age Concern is very fortunate to have a dedicated team of over 200 volunteers. Our volunteers come from all walks of life and age groups and tell us often how much they enjoy connecting with older people. Their roles include Volunteer Visitors, Mini Bus Drivers, Social Outings Hosts and Social Outings Volunteers.

We all have skills that can help others. This year’s theme is “Live, laugh, share — Volunteer” or “Kia ringa hora: Me mahi tūao.” This positive message is about celebrating what volunteers bring to their communities. It is important to recognise volunteering and the place it has in keeping our communities strong and healthy.

The benefits of being a volunteer are well-documented. There’s better health and the ‘feel good’ endorphins that volunteering releases; around how volunteering can help with job prospects; and other health benefits such as extending longevity and reducing depression in many people. As poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, “It is one of the beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely help another without helping himself.”

National Volunteer Week is a great opportunity to start volunteering or, if you already volunteer, it’s a great time to invite a friend to join you. The positive message for the Week celebrates the joy that volunteers bring to their communities. It also reminds us that volunteers reap the reward of a happier, more engaged life because they feel