WHEN Dorothy Anderson’s husband was diagnosed with Melanoma, his one wish was to stay at home.
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“I was able to keep him at home but there is no way I could have done that without Ballarat Hospice Care’s help,” Mrs Anderson said.
With her husband, mother and father-in-law having died of cancer, Mrs Anderson knows all too well the struggles faced by cancer patients and their families.
But the 73-year-old also knows how much an organisation like Ballarat Hospice Care can help during such times.
It is for this reason that she has been volunteering at the organisation for the last seven years.
“You get more out of volunteering than you give. You can help or support somebody through a not very pleasant time,” Mrs Anderson said.
In the new year, the City of Ballarat is encouraging residents to take up a volunteer role for organisations such as Ballarat Hospice Care.
It is estimated that more than 1000 volunteers donate their time across a range of organisations in Ballarat, providing hundreds of thousands of hours of sacrificial work to the local community each year at no cost.
Of the 90 people who work at Ballarat Hospice Care, 70 of them are volunteers. According to the organisation’s executive officer Carita Potts, Ballarat Hospice Care couldn’t survive without them.
“They not only support us financially but they bring soul to the organisation,” Ms Potts said.
“We can’t thank them enough.”
Some organisations in Ballarat which rely on the support of volunteers:
Sovereign Hill Museums Association - 5337 1100
Ballarat Hospice Care - 5333 1118
Gandarra Palliative Care - 5320 3895
Vision Australia - 1300 84 74 66 and ask for Ballarat
Child and Family Services - 5337 3333
United Way Ballarat - 5331 5555
Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council - 5332-5941
Ballarat Community Health - 5338 4500
Anglicare Ballarat - 5331 1183
Pinarc Support Services - 5329 1300
Haddon and District Community House - 5342 7050
Catholic Diocese of Ballarat - 5337 7121
KIDS Foundation - 1300 734 733
McCallum Disability Services - 5334 1921