Children’s cancer charity Camp Quality is putting an urgent call out for 18 new volunteers to sign up in NT to coincide with National Volunteer Week (11 – 17 May).
There are 40 children on Camp Quality’s books in NT but only 22 volunteers. The charity, which runs resilience-building camps in both SA and NT, offers one-to-one support for each child living with cancer in the form of a Camp Companion – a volunteer tasked with making the child feel optimistic and confident after cancer has knocked their self-esteem. Companions are gender-matched (so boys with men, girls with women), meaning the charity needs 5 men and 5 women in NT to help the 9 boys and 9 girls living with cancer awaiting a Camp Companion.
In addition, Camp Quality NT requires the support of fundraising volunteers in the Darwin and Alice areas to help organise and coordinate fundraisers such as quiz nights, bingo nights and casual clothes days at their workplace.
Tegan Davies, Camp Quality’s volunteer advisor, said: “At Camp Quality, we’re an organisation that relies heavily on our amazing volunteers to deliver our programs for us and support our fundraising so we can reach more kids living with cancer. When you sign up, you’ll be expertly trained and supported. Some think helping kids with cancer is a sad role when, in fact, the opposite is true. You’ll have the time of your life at our camps, creating wonderfully special, life-long memories for these kids.”
The charity has over 2,500 volunteers nationwide. Together those volunteers donated approximately 300,000 hours to Camp Quality in the past year. The charity has just over one hundred staff so volunteers help it to save considerably on costs, as they outnumber staff members by 23:1. This means every donated dollar goes right back to where it’s needed the most: to the kids.
Camp Quality relies heavily on volunteers and currently receives no government funding. To support Camp Quality to help create a better life for every child living with cancer in NT, please visit HERE for info on donating or volunteering.