Honouring the volunteers who make a difference in Bermuda
More than 40 volunteers who have made a difference in the community were honoured at a ceremony.
People who give up their spare time to help the elderly, drug rehabilitation workers and those who lay on activities for youngsters were among those championed on Tuesday evening at Bacardi International in Hamilton.
The event, featuring a cocktail reception, was arranged to mark International Volunteer Day, which celebrates the contribution people make to the well-being of others.
Organisers at the Centre on Philanthropy used the evening to officially launch a new online system aimed at encouraging more people to become volunteers.
Centre chairman Brian Duperreault told the audience: “One of the ways we can start to encourage more of Bermuda’s residents to volunteer is to honour the work already being done.
“Often, this work is done at odd hours of the day or night, squeezed around hours devoted to paying jobs, parental responsibilities and other activities that place demand on precious time.
“But these wonderful people make sure they find the time to support what matters to them and, in doing so, to support what matters to Bermuda.”
Mr. Duperreault then called out the names of each volunteer in turn.
One volunteer was teacher Milton Richardson, 40, from Devonshire who founded De Boys Day Out Club 11 years ago to give youngsters from single parents across the Island a chance to enjoy different activities.
He said: “The whole idea is to teach boys how to be respectful and responsible.
“I started it off because of my teaching experience. The boys were a particular challenge for me. In my first year as a teacher, I thought I would have to do something extra to get their attention. This is what I came up with.
“When I first set it up, I was thinking it would die down soon — but here we still are, going strong.
“It’s great that people are being recognised tonight. It was a pleasant surprise for me to get called. Sometimes those people encouraging others need a bit of encouragement themselves.”
Another volunteer was William Pearman, 76, from Pembroke, who helps organise bingo sessions at the Bermuda Senior Islanders’ Centre.
Mr. Pearman, who has suffered four heart attacks, said: “I wanted to give back to the community after the blessings God gave me.”
Jean Smith, from Devonshire, the former chairman of the Reading Clinic, which helps dyslexic children, was also honoured.
“Being able to help the Reading Clinic means a lot to me,” she said.
“I have seen how they have helped my two grandsons. They need the funds to be able to buy books and for the general running costs of the group, so I was happy to be part of the fund-raising team.”
More than 50 organisations have so far registered with the Centre of Philanthropy’s online system, called the Bermuda Volunteer Centre. It aims to provide a network which can unite volunteers with suitable non-profit organisations.
Gaston Tano, managing director of Bacardi International, which sponsored the event, said: “We believe that sharing our resources through corporate donations, sponsorships and employee participation in local charitable activities are the ways in which we demonstrate our support to a variety of worthy programmes that directly serve our community here in Bermuda.”
To visit the Bermuda Volunteer Centre website, log on to www.centreonphilanthropy.org
