A Sunderland charity shop is asking local students for their help in boosting their number of volunteers during Student Volunteering Week which runs from 20-26 of February.
St Oswald’s Children’s Hospice shop opened on High Street West Sunderland in April 2016 but has struggled to find sufficient volunteers. Retail Area Manager, Susan Freeman, said: “although some of our shifts are covered none are totally full, we’re especially looking for the afternoon shifts to be covered from 1pm to 4.30pm”.
Student Volunteering Week is being celebrated throughout the country, asking students to get involved and form partnerships with established charities in their local communities.
Susan continued: “Students bring a great vibrancy to our shops while they gain new skills, get the chance to meet new people and enhance their own employability, all while helping in the local community. We love our shop teams to be a real mix of ages, skills and abilities”
The shop, celebrating it’s first anniversary in April relies heavily on the help and support of local people. All profits raised go towards supporting St Oswald’s Children and Young Adults Service which provides residential short breaks for children and young people with progressive, life shortening conditions from the whole of the North East region.
Jaspreet Kaur, a student in the local area, said: “I’d never really thought about volunteering at such a young age before, but knowing that as well as gaining valuable work experience I would also be helping such a worthwhile and important cause, it’s definitely something to be looked in to”.
If you have the enthusiasm, a willingness to learn and a ready smile, becoming a volunteer couldn’t be easier. Simply pop into the shop for a chat and a taster session where you can try a range of tasks, from working on the tills to dressing windows. You could be volunteering in a matter of days, making new friends, gaining new skills and having a positive impact on the local community. In the words of St. Oswald’s previous student volunteers it can be “extremely rewarding and a lot of fun, giving a true outlook on working life and is “highly recommended to everyone.”