Happy April. I can’t believe that we are almost a quarter of the way through the year!! This month we have some updates to share from our volunteer network. As a small organisation, Coeliac New Zealand relies on our wonderful volunteers who give up their time to support people living with coeliac disease. Our network of volunteers helps support Coeliac NZ through a variety of opportunities, including member support, event coordination, community advocacy and membership promotion. As always, we are immensely thankful for their hours of service to our small organisation.
As the seasons change, and life changes, so too do our volunteers so I would like to take this opportunity to welcome two new volunteers to the team.
Welcome, Rachel Pritchard, who is our new volunteer coordinator for the Wellington region. Rachel is keen and eager to build a sense of community with members and is looking forward to meeting some members in the Wellington region.
Further down south, we welcome Tina Powell, who has lived in Te Anau with her husband Verge for the last 15 and a half years. Tina is passionate about helping others and wants to give back to the community by volunteering with Coeliac NZ.
You can read more about our new volunteers on our website.
As we welcome these ladies to our team, we also take this opportunity to farewell Ingrid Karsten, who is stepping down in her role as volunteer coordinator for the Hamilton region. Ingrid was instrumental in the creation and development of the 50th anniversary digital members cookbook that was recently rolled out. From her initial idea to get a collection of member recipes together, she has helped collect, collate and develop the cookbook into a fantastic, valuable resource for our members. Thank you for your time, expertise and passion,n Ingrid – we truly appreciate the contribution you have made to Coeliac NZ and our members.
We are seeking new volunteers to come on board and help support members, advocate within the community and be the voice of Coeliac NZ in your region. We are especially looking to fill vacancies in Hamilton, as well as enthusiastic people to run the kids’ clubs in Dunedin and Wellington or your local area. Reach out, and we can have a chat.
Email Suzanne at healthpromotion@coeliac.org.nz