THE experience of helping others provides us with meaning, a sense of self-worth and a meaningful social role. 

A strong correlation exists between the well-being, happiness health and longevity of people who are kind and compassionate as they carry out their charitable activities.

Established in 1989, National Volunteer Week is the largest celebration of volunteers and volunteerism in Australia, and provides an opportunity to highlight the role of volunteers in our community and to say thank you to the more than six million Australians who volunteer.

As we celebrate the 27th anniversary of National Volunteer Week take time out to say a heartfelt thank you to all volunteers.

Volunteers are everywhere; they greet us with a smile where ever we go in our daily life. Volunteers support our health and welfare agencies, they welcome our visitors to town.

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They greet us at the theatre, our arts and cultural venues, as they care for the environment or for our lost animals and injured wildlife.

Volunteers are good sports, supporting our recreational fund-raising activities and lending a hand to support our community events. 

Australian volunteers contribute 700 million hours of unpaid work each year to their local communities which equates to a $43 billion boost to the Australian economy, a much larger contribution to GDP than tourism, mining or agriculture.

It’s not hard to find volunteer information about current opportunities, or your rights and responsibilities as volunteers.

Your local council, school, opportunity shop or aged care home is a good first step.

Have you thought about a way to measure the impact of volunteers in terms of hours served and the economic value of volunteer time?

Try this little exercise: imagine if one day, all volunteers simply didn't show up.

What would our cities, towns, parks, schools, places of worship, cultural events and libraries look like? What basic needs would go unmet? What opportunities to grow, learn, and thrive as a society would be lost? 

The truth is you likely cross paths with a volunteer at least once if not several times a day, no matter where you are. They are a valuable and necessary part of most societies.

Do you love animals and have an interest in animal welfare? If you are willing to get your hands dirty for a good cause then enquire about volunteer positions available in your local animal welfare centre.

Usually you need to be reasonably fit as the work is quite physically demanding, but it is very rewarding and you get to interact with the many animals in care.

Ask the centre about any age limits, public transport availability, and whether they do work placement for students enrolled in Animal Studies.