Volunteer Stars

Volunteering with us is a great way to help out and connect with the blindness community.

The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind has around 13,500 volunteers and 2,200 volunteers regularly give their time. The RNZFB and its members are fortunate to have a community of volunteers who are instrumental to our success. From companions to guide dog kennel assistants, our volunteers are important.

Below are just a small selection of our volunteer stars, be sure to check back for more inspiring stories.

Lakshmi Sridhar

Lakshmi works at IBM in Auckland and has been a volunteer for the RNZFB since 2008. Lakshmi is a star volunteer as she gives us her valuable time amongst a busy work schedule and also helps in raising funds.

Here is Lakshmi’s volunteering story, in her own words...

"I had an uncle who went blind in his mid forties and struggled to cope with day to day activities, as he did not have the support system to help him where he lived.  This had a huge impact on me and I had always wanted to, in small way, contribute to make a difference to the lives of blind people. It was a marvellous coincidence that my very good friend works for the RNZFB and offered me this wonderful opportunity to volunteer.

At the RNZFB, I enjoy working with blind and partially sighted people who I admire for their tenacity, positive attitude, warmth and wonderful sense of humour.  I have worked with blind and partially sighted staff at the Accessible Formats Production department and this has been one of the most enriching experiences of my volunteering. I find the staff members at RNZFB to be extremely friendly and well aware of what they do to make a difference. 

In my current volunteering role, I get to meet members who need assistance with digital players. Most of the members are elderly; they face the challenge of coping with age-related illnesses and disabilities as well as the changing face of technology, which can prove to be a challenge even to the best of us. It is very heartening to see the members genuinely making an effort to learn and adapt to this change."

Lauryl

"Hi my name is Lauryl and I am a member and a volunteer!

I work two days a week in the Hamilton Office and am responsible for making sure the Talking Book Machines (TBMs) get processed in a timely manner.

I had been feeling a bit isolated and missing work when one of the Hamilton staff suggested I could volunteer in the office. She took this suggestion to the Regional Coordinator and, as they say, the rest is history.

It has been a great experience for me and has helped me with my computer skills. It's one thing to do a course, but having the chance to put what you’ve learned into practice is really what makes a difference. I enjoy coming in and being part of the work force again and my confidence has increased. Of course I can also relate well to the members who are requesting TBMs as I have had one myself for many years."

Trish Murray – a RNZFB Regional Coordinator says "I am so pleased to have Lauryl on board. She has picked up the system quickly and now I can just flick the TBM requests on to her knowing they will be dealt with quickly and expertly. We have reduced our waiting list down to nil and this is great for members in this region".

Betty and Gerald Minchinton

At 90 years young, Betty Minchinton is our oldest Talking Book Machine volunteer. She celebrated her big birthday earlier this year and was ready to deliver six machines to our members even before the party had ended. Betty's motivation and drive to reach out to members is inspirational.

Based in Auckland, Betty and husband Gerald light up the lives of hundreds of members by gifting them the ability to enjoy talking books. They drive to remote parts of the city and train our members how to use the machine.

We asked Betty what her motivation was and she said, "Well, we always end the day with a McDonald's Cheeseburger".