After receiving help from the Smith Family growing up, Rhiannon Vincent is giving back and volunteering her time to give someone else the same opportunity she was given as a child.
Growing up, the now 20-year-old and her single mother struggled.
The Smith Family were able to provide her family with a scholarship and an opportunity to join their Student2Student Reading program, which gets younger school students to read to their older peers.
Ms Vincent still remembers reading Roald Dahl’s Matilda and said she’s grateful for the level of support the Smith Family was able to provide for her.
“I am grateful the Smith Family helped me through my schooling days. I always had the idea of wanting to volunteer and I thought because the Smith Family were in Collie I thought it would be nice to help them because they helped me growing up,” she said.
This week is National Volunteer Week, which runs from May 21 to 27. This year’s theme is ‘Give a little. Change a lot’, which looks at how the smallest volunteer contribution could have a huge impact on the community.
Ms Vincent volunteers as a learning club tutor for the Smith Family at Wilson Park Primary School, Amaroo Primary School and also where her mum works at ValleyView.
“It’s rewarding helping others. I’ve always liked the idea of working with children but I never really wanted to go into childcare but I’m also volunteering in the kitchen at ValleyView as a kitchen hand,” she said.
Four out of five Western Australians are estimated to volunteer in their communities each year, donating a total of about 315 million hours, according to Volunteering WA.
The Smith Family WA general manager Ian Moore said these programs could not be run without volunteers like Ms Vincent.
“Volunteers help with so many aspects of our work; we simply couldn’t run these programs – or our organisation more broadly – without our volunteers,” he said.
Volunteering Minister Mick Murray said WA has some of the most dedicated volunteers in the world and this week is a time to celebrate them. “Western Australia has some of the most dedicated volunteers in the world, and this week we honour each and every person who contributes to the community,” he said.