Hot on the heels of Volunteer Awareness Week, this week we take a look at the best way to find an organisation that could use your skills and time to help people in the community.
According to the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector, more than one million Kiwis are involved in voluntary work of some kind. From the sports fields to charity initiatives of all kinds, chances are a volunteer is involved somewhere along the line.
CINCH - the place to find the Christchurch community
CINCH is a Community information directory for Christchurch. It is a constantly updated database of clubs, organisations, services, courses and programmes in the greater Christchurch area. You can search for information about volunteering and voluntary organisations.
You can also search CINCH under the following subject headings:
Featured content
Most people involved in voluntary and non-profit organisations know that money can be hard to come by. Christchurch City Libraries subscribes to Fundview - the premium New Zealand listings of organisations that provide community funding.
Based on a simple form, Fundview will ask you about what you want money for, the area you are in, and the people your organisation works and will return a list of possible funders.
Access this with your library card number and PIN, or at our libraries.
Volunteering: good for others, good for you
Volunteering Canterbury is always looking for people who will donate a little of their time to help others and manager Ruth Gardner says people are always surprised to see the wide range of volunteering positions available.
“Most people think volunteering revolves around health or social services,” she says.
“They don’t think about sport, the environment, the arts, culture and heritage. It is not just about giving services to others, people can also do things that will help the planet or make events like Christmas in the Park possible.”
Read more about
volunteering on The Pulse.
This week in Christchurch history
A handy feature for those keen to find out about local history is the Christchurch Chronology on the library website. Here’s a selection of what happened in Christchurch this week in history:
- June 21, 1897 Huge celebrations for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee include the official opening of Victoria Park on the Port Hills and the transformation of Market (Victoria) Square by the City Council and the newly formed Christchurch Beautifying Association.
- June 21, 1989 Redcliffs man Roger Manson receives new heart and lungs at London's Harefield Hospital.
- June 22, 1954 Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme murder Parker’s mother in Victoria Park. Their subsequent trial was one of the most sensational in the city’s history.
- June 23, 1863 First cab stand in City, on the corner of Colombo and High Streets.
- June 24, 1981 First Metro Refuse transfer station (Sockburn) in operation.
- June 25, 1941 German minelayer "Adjutant" lays mines in the approaches to Lyttelton Harbour. But this German claim is unsupported - no trace of the mines was ever found.
- June 26, 1871 Christchurch Volunteer Police enrolled.
- June 26, 1884 New Zealand’s first First Aid examinations held in City.
Broaden your reading horizons next week with some tips and tricks to find new and interesting reading material.
