Celebrating Volunteers Week 2013
Kairos began in 1999 with a small team of committed volunteers meeting vulnerable women caught up in street prostitution in Hillfields. It continues to this day because of the same compassion and time given by you, our volunteers, enabling women to receive the encouragement and practical support they need.
As Kairos Volunteers, you not only sustain the organisation but enable us to go from strength to strength. Meeting monthly as a Board of Trustees has helped steer the direction and growth of our work and its impact. A diverse and passionate team of volunteers also actively uphold four key aspects of our service delivery.
Three times a week, volunteers prepare a safe and welcoming space for women to access the WING’s Groups and Evening Drop In. Because of your consistency and non-judgmental attitude, our women encounter people who genuinely care, enabling them to overcome a fear of being judged. This removes a significant barrier to engaging with support and trusting in their own recovery process.
15 women have been befriended by volunteers who commit to walking alongside them, encouraging them to develop skills, confidence and a belief in their potential to achieve the change they want in their lives. Since the Prison In-reach initiative began in 2011, 8 women have received monthly letters from volunteers and 100% said that these letters reduced their sense of isolation.
As Volunteers, you have gone above and beyond what was expected of you by offering additional admin assistance and increasing the profile and support for Kairos WWT through social media networks. You have helped raise hundreds of pounds through fundraising and facilitated workshops and public campaigns that provide a platform for our women’s voices and creatively to be seen and heard.
We would therefore like to celebrate and thank you, all volunteers past and present, without whom Kairos would not be; it is a real privilege to work along side you.
