31/05/2012
Volunteers’ Week 2012
Volunteers’ Week takes place from 1 to 7 June. Marriage Care is a relationship support organisation whose services are delivered by over 700 volunteers. Of these, about 230 are specialist relationship counsellors and every year they help around 3000 people who reach crisis point in their relationships.
In addition, 300 volunteers help over 3000 couples per year who are embarking on the long-term commitment of marriage.
We asked recent members for their insights into why they decided to volunteer for Marriage Care, and what has been the best experience for them so far.
‘A number of my counselling clients had been bringing very specific relationship problems, which pointed me in the direction of couple counselling,’ says Petronella Phillips Devaney, who has been a relationship counsellor for Marriage Care for about 6 months. ‘I connected with Marriage Care and liked what I found – the organisation, the approach, the ethos and, above all, the people I met: the staff, the trainers, and the other counsellors. I was very impressed, and decided I would love to be part of all that.
‘For me, the best thing has to be the people. Everyone I’ve met at Marriage Care is so positive, so supportive, and there’s so much opportunity to grow and develop both as a counsellor and personally.’
Rosemary Gadsby is the new head of centre for Peterborough: ‘Having volunteered for Marriage Care in the past, I knew how important the support and encouragement of the head of centre was to the local team. When the opportunity came up, I jumped at the chance to offer the same dedication and commitment to the current team as I was shown in my days as a counsellor.
‘My best experience so far has been to attend the Annual Conference and meet up with colleagues I had known before, and new ones. The dedication and caring is still very evident among current members. I am finding my new role challenging but stimulating and look forward to helping to promote Marriage Care in this needy world of ours.’
Marriage Care centres are always on the lookout for people to join their dynamic teams of committed relationships specialists who make a real difference to peoples’ lives in the local community.
Want to join us? Find out more here.
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The dedication and caring is very evident among current members”
