Volunteering is a key platform of the Greater Charitable Foundation, and in the past 12 months alone, close to 280 Greater Bank employees have volunteered with a Charitable Foundation partner.
For this reason, 2015 saw the establishment of the inaugural Greater Charitable Foundation Volunteer of the Year Award. The award recognises Greater Bank employees who have gone above and beyond in their efforts to give back to their community.
The overall winner of the award was Lending Communications Facilitator, Debbie Mace. In the past 12 months, Debbie has volunteered with:
- Camp Quality as a 'Camp Companion'
- Cerebral Palsy Alliance as a mentor in the Ignition and Emerge Programs
- Youth off the Streets, helping to take a group of local young people to Sydney Airport where they got to experience flying for the first time
- Starlight Children's Foundation as a 'Wishgranter', helping to grant the wishes of seriously ill children.
In 2013, Debbie took her passion for her helping others to the next level by enrolling in and completing her Cert IV in Community Services. She then enrolled in the Diploma for Community Services during 2014 and is applying her learnings by volunteering for StreetCare on weekends, providing homeless people with access to food.
Debbie was nominated by four different Greater Bank employees for the award, with one of Debbie's colleagues making the comment that: -
"Debbie genuinely cares about the people she volunteers for and is selfless with her time and energy. The compassion that Debbie shows proves the sentiment that volunteers don't always have the time, they just have the heart."
As the Greater Charitable Foundation Volunteer of the Year, Debbie was presented with $500 to donate back to a charity of her choice and a $100 Gift Card to spend on herself.
Two other Greater Bank staff members were awarded with 'Runner Up' prizes for their outstanding commitment to the community. Information Security Manager, Jeremy Andreani, who has volunteered with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Ignition and Emerge Mentoring Programs for the past 6 years was praised by his colleagues for his "passion and dedication to supporting others". Greenhills Branch Manager, Carolin Mackaway, was also awarded for her commitment to setting up The Umbrella Foundation Australia to support children in Nepal, as well as her contribution as a mentor in the 2015 Cerebral Palsy Alliance Emerge Program. Both Jeremy and Carolin received $250 to donate back to a charity of choice and a $50 gift voucher to spend on themselves!
This National Volunteer Week, the Greater Charitable Foundation would like to thank ALL of the wonderful volunteers in our community who are helping to make our world a better place.
National Volunteer Week 2015 runs from the 11-17 May 2015.
Improving Life Outcomes
Take a look at our other charity partners and see how we're improving life outcomes for families and communities near you.