Volunteers Celebrated at Mercy Place Mont Clare

16-year-old Mosman Park resident Zara Denovan is approaching her first year of volunteering at Mercy Place Mont Clare, a milestone that will be recognised by staff at the aged care home during National Volunteer Week, which will be celebrated between Monday 15 - Sunday 21 May.

The Year 12 student from Shenton College, who contacted dozens of aged care homes in her bid to start volunteering with seniors, says she has loves spending time with the home’s residents every week – or every fortnight during exam periods – since she was first accepted as a Mont Clare volunteer in July last year.

“I love helping people and am looking at a career in medicine or nursing within the aged care sector, and so I really wanted to start spending time with the older generation,” says Zara, whose mother is a GP and who has chosen mostly science-based subjects for Year 12.

“I love spending time with the residents and hearing their life stories, I find them so interesting and we always have so much to talk about as they have had so many incredible experiences; I’m often chatting with them for hours.”

“I would also recommend volunteering to anyone because there are so many benefits, it’s just a case of working out how you would most like to help.”

Mercy Place Mont Clare Service Manager, Dorothy Wijangco, said Mercy Health highly valued its dedicated volunteers, with younger volunteers like Zara bringing an extra dose of enthusiasm and zest for life into the not-for-profit home.

“We have a wonderful group of highly committed volunteers of all ages who help make Mercy Health the real community it is, and we are incredibly grateful for their support, as are our residents,” she says.

“National Volunteer Week is the perfect opportunity to reflect on the generosity of our volunteers, who give their time so freely to support our residents in so many ways.”

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