Mother, wife, business owner and Hotel Ashburton Volunteer of the Month

Business owner, Mother of two and wife as well as a volunteer with the Ashburton Parent Centre , Michelle Boelyn is a Volunteering Mid & South Canterbury and the Hotel Ashburton Volunteer of the Month.

Volunteering with the Ashburton Parent’s Centre is Michelle first foray into volunteering, but she would thoroughly recommend volunteering to anyone.

She has been volunteering just over six moths but, in this time, she has been described by the committee as being like the ‘energizer bunny”. She had bought new ideas and energy and inspires her follow volunteers.
Michelle saw an article last year where the Ashburton Parents Centre were struggling and without support, they were having to consider the possibility of closing. As a Mum to two young children, she saw that she had something to offer, so joined the committee. As she said the more people that help the less everyone has to do as the workload is shared around.

It wasn’t long after joining the committee that she was asked with her skills to take on the marketing role. This role includes facebook and social media promotion, informing the community of the variety of workshops they offer like their forth coming postal natal depression workshop on the 17th August at 11.30am at their rooms in the shopping centre in Chalmers Ave. They are planning more workshops facilitated by professionals as the Parents Centre role is to provide free parent education and support to all parents in the community in a relaxed space.

The Parents Centre are always looking for more volunteers so they can open more hours and provide more services. As well as workshops they provide movement to music playgroups, offer a venue for Children’s parties, have a cookbook with everyday recipes and great ideas for lunch boxes, following their first successful market they may hold more in the future said Michelle,” it was so great to have people come and see our facilities”.

For Michelle volunteering gives her a great opportunity to meet other people, to share her knowledge with other parents and bring the community together. Volunteering is so enjoyable, Michelle says and thinks others should give it a go.

Nomination forms for the Volunteer of the Month awards are available by emailing manager-midc@vmsc.org.nz