During Sharks Have Heart Round last weekend the Club took the opportunity to say thank you to a group of committed Heart to Heart volunteers.
Those volunteers involved in the Heart to Heart program to have completed 20 hours of service in 2023, were presented with a Sharks Have Heart polo on field prior to the Sharks v Bulldogs NRL game last Sunday, in a reward for their hard work and dedication.
The group included Shark Crew volunteers Megan Cox, CJ Hugo, Mel Middleton, Naomi Beveridge, David Madden, Joshua Craig, Samuel Griffith, Jada Rowan, Kathy Ismay and Bruce Toddie.
A volunteers program targeting the thriving sport sector in the Sutherland Shire and to support the social and emotional wellbeing of individuals and the wider community, Heart to Heart aims to be innovative in identifying flexible ways to manage volunteering with other interests and commitments.
The Heart to Heart volunteer hours are managed through reporting and tracking software with rewards and recognition given to those who participate in training and education opportunities, complete volunteer hours, and contribute to Sharks Have Heart sporting and community partner programs, events and club commitments.
The Sharks Have Heart strategy 2023-2026 has reimagined its volunteering imitative with increased collaboration between the Sharks, local JRL Clubs, along with sporting and community partners, while a focus has been to collect data to align roles with motivations, goals and the needs of the volunteers.
Sharks Have Heart have also assisted in providing free workshops to all volunteers to build skills and knowledge that can be utilised in a range of volunteer roles, while also increasing job skills and employability.
The Shark Tank event every quarter, where in mirroring the popular TV show of the same name, Sharks Have Heart invite partner organisations to deliver a 5-7 minute pitch about their Club and what kind of help they needed relation to skills, experiences, types of people, specific roles. The pitch or presentation is made to a room full of fresh faces, from which they can hopefully recruit new volunteers.
Sharks Have Heart are hosting its Shark Tank #3 on Wednesday 19th July, from 6pm-8pm at Pointsbet Stadium.
Those interested in joining the Heart to Heart Volunteers program, are encouraged to email [email protected] for more information.
