December 18, 2024On Friday, 6 December 2024, Northern Health hosted its annual Volunteer Christmas Party to honour the incredible contributions of its dedicated volunteers. The festive event took place at Casa D’Abruzzo Club in Epping, bringing together over 120 volunteers from across Northern Health’s campuses.
The afternoon was filled with laughter, music, and gratitude as Northern Health leaders expressed their heartfelt thanks to the volunteers who tirelessly dedicate their time and energy to supporting patients and staff.
Pina Di Donato, Executive Director Public Affairs and Foundation, praised the volunteers, saying, “Our volunteers and consumer advisors are the backbone of Northern Health, and we thank them for the precious gift of their time. They enable us to do things we just couldn’t do without them. Today, we celebrate all of our volunteers and thank them for their dedicated services.”
Attendees enjoyed a delicious lunch, festive entertainment, and a heartfelt slideshow showcasing memorable moments from 2024. A special mention was made on behalf of Joan Stroud, a dedicated Northern Health volunteer who sadly passed away from a short battle with cancer earlier this year. Her volunteer family at Northern Health remember her quick wit and beautiful smile, keeping Joan in their thoughts during their Christmas party.
Natalie Carroll, Northern Health Volunteer Coordinator, who led the organisation of the event, was thrilled to see how the volunteers across all campuses came together to celebrate another great year helping their community.
“We are incredibly grateful for the dedication and continued support from all of our Northern Health volunteers. It’s a very special thing to give up your time to help others in need, and we are so thankful that we have such an amazing community of volunteers who are not only willing, but wanting to do that,” said Natalie.
The volunteers services team currently manage 166 volunteers across all Northern Health campuses, with over 12,500 hours of their time dedicated to our health service this year alone, which is an incredible effort.
Thank you to all local sporting associations, religious groups, craft and social clubs for their ongoing support this year, who also enthusiastically engage in activities to give back to our health service in a meaningful way, including Busy Fingers Auxiliary for dedicating over 50 years of service to Northern Health’s Bundoora Centre.
Northern Health extends its deepest appreciation to its volunteers and looks forward to another year of collaboration and care.
Featured image L-R: Alicia Podgomik, Gayani Silva, Carmen Calleja, Mandy Davis, Gwen Hurley, Maria Cardamone.
