I strongly believe that individuals should give something back to society, that those of us fortunate enough to have good health and possess valuable skills should use them in a voluntary capacity to help others.
This is why I am a trustee of Headway Cambridgeshire, which helps rehabilitate brain injured adults. We should not take our own well being for granted.
None of us can tell if one day our luck will change, it could so easily be us who will rely on the time and skills provided by volunteers. That is particularly true with Headway because an acquired brain injury could happen to anybody without warning, like having a road accident or falling off a ladder, being attacked or suffering unexpected medical problem. Every year, one in 300 families in the UK is affected by a brain injury.
I am flagging this up because Headway Cambridgeshire is appealing for new trustees, and is particularly interested in hearing from people with the following skills – financial, marketing, surveying, social services, neurological, occupational therapy and fund-raising.
Andrew Gardner, (pic) our new chief exec, sums up the crucial role of trustees by saying:
“Trustees play a key role in the running of Headway Cambridgeshire. The skills and experience they can bring to bear can really make a difference to the success of the organisation.
“As well as doing something ‘worthy’ there is a huge amount of pleasure to be obtained from being involved in helping people achieve their potential. Trustees also get the opportunity to use their skills and experience in an environment that may not be familiar and this can be very rewarding for them as well as they develop new skills and experiences.”
I find it very enjoyable and rewarding to pop into Headway Cambridgeshire and try to get to know its members. It’s a fabulous place with very caring staff.
If this interests you, please do let me know. If you can’t help locally, maybe you can support another branch, or another chosen charity.
It is vital not to waste your skills and talents which would be appreciated by so many others.
I wish I could help but sadly I tink I’m more in need of their help than they are of mine. They are a fantastic organisation worth helping.
Good for you Ellee. Can’t help with this but we all have to do our bit in our own backyard, wherever it is.
[…] Ellee wrote a fantastic post today on “Do you give something back to society?”Here’s ONLY a quick extract… Cambridgeshire is appealing for new trustees, and is particularly interested in hearing from people with the following skills – financial, marketing, surveying, social services, neurological, occupational therapy and fund-raising. … […]
The seminar I went to yesterday about responsible leadership had a big focus on CRS and the importance this played for organisations so they are perceived to be caring, though it must be genuine in order to succeed. When the audience was asked if they gave back to society in any way by supporting a local group, there was a great show of hands. So it is happening, we all lead busy lives, but need to think about others too who are less fortunate.
Has anyone else seen the full page advertisements in our national press this week from M & S describing their CSR, about helping fund schools in Uganda?
All businesses want to be seen as being good guys. Everyone has a personal skill they can use to help others outside of work in a voluntary capacity – so go for it.