Forbes VIEW Club is calling on members of the community to give their time to children’s education charity, The Smith Family, as part of National Volunteer Week (18-24 May).

VIEW stands for the Voice, Interests and Education of Women and is a leading women’s organisation with more than 13,000 members in approximately 260 communities across Australia, all dedicated to supporting children in need with their education through The Smith Family.

Members do this through community fundraising, spreading awareness, and volunteering.

The theme for this year’s Volunteer Week is 'Your Year to Volunteer' which is a call to action for us all to get involved in community to help create a positive change and make a difference.

Forbes Club President, Judy Kerr said, “volunteering fits with VIEW’s purpose and work across Australia”.

“We help The Smith Family make tremendous change by giving children the best start to life through a quality education," she said.

"Last year alone, the charity’s educational and mentoring programs reached over 186,499 children and young people across the country.”

VIEW members generosity, compassion and commitment create life-changing opportunities for young Australians every day.

As we celebrate “Your Year to Volunteer”, we honour those already giving their time and talents and invite others to discover how volunteering can spark connection, purpose and a powerful sense of community.

“We help raise funds for programs like ‘student2student’, which pairs younger children with reading buddies, we sponsor students through the ‘Learning for Life’ program, so they are supported throughout their entire education, and members can volunteer at Learning Clubs, where children are given help with their homework after school," Judy said.

The Smith Family’s CEO, Doug Taylor said the charity could not have the impact it does without the help of volunteers.

“Each year, thousands of volunteers play a vital role in our learning support and mentoring programs and provide invaluable in-house administration support, with the students and families we support being the ultimate beneficiaries," he said.

“We are very grateful to all VIEW members for continuing to donate their time and energy, especially during the last few years which have been disrupted by the pandemic, and now the cost-of-living crisis.”

Members of Forbes VIEW Club volunteer for The Smith Family by fundraising through a range of events - Judy says there are many opportunities for people to help out.

“We are always looking for women to join us in supporting The Smith Family and we’d encourage anyone interested to get in touch and come along to our next meeting to learn more about VIEW," she said.

Anyone interested in finding out more about Forbes VIEW Club contact Judy on 0408426115 or Helen on 0427201445, email or visit www.view.org.au

Forbes View Club meets the second Thursday of every month at Club Forbes starting at 12pm for a relaxed social lunch and listen to a guest speaker who updates us on what’s happening in their field of expertise, interests or experiences.

Everyone is welcome to come along and join in. The next meeting is on Thursday, 14 May.

Contact Judy on 0408 426 115 if you would like to attend.