“We believe if you have the power to give, you should.” – Clement Lee, Founder and Chairman at Riverlee.
Over 34 Riverlee team members participated in Riverlee’s inaugural Volunteering Week in March, with a total of 595 volunteer hours completed as a combined effort.
Aligned with Riverlee’s vision to create thriving communities, Volunteering Week allowed the team to volunteer their time at four local charities — The Alannah & Madeline Foundation, Big Group Hug, Ronald McDonald House and the Salvation Army — with all participating staff receiving paid volunteering leave to ensure they were able to fully dedicate their time to these meaningful causes.
Volunteering Week was developed by Riverlee’s Impact Committee in collaboration with the Riverlee Foundation, our philanthropic fund, as a way to extend the impact of Riverlee’s ongoing philanthropic work.
Tricia Lee, Director of the Riverlee Foundation, says that Riverlee’s volunteering work speaks to the core values of Riverlee as an organisation.
“At Riverlee, we believe that we have both the ability and responsibility to make a difference in the community, and we approach this meaningfully in every project we embark on. Through Volunteering Week, we are able to engage with local communities and organisations in a way that embodies the values of compassion, integrity, and respect that Riverlee has been built upon,” she says.
“Not only does this participation allow us to support these critically important charity organisations, it provides our team with a lasting experience that allows them to learn, grow, and support others, which is the same spirit they look to evoke when developing future communities.”
As part of Volunteering Week, Riverlee staff packed buddy bags at the Alannah & Madeline Foundation in South Melbourne, filling the bags with items that help to support the physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing of children in emergency accommodation.
Over in Bundoora at the Big Group Hug’s warehouse, Riverlee staff helped to pack relief bundles of clothes, clean equipment, toys, and books for their Emergency Relief Network, which supports vulnerable and disadvantaged families.
Riverlee Finance Manager, Deon Smit, who spent a day volunteering at the Alannah & Madeline Foundation said that the experience was unforgettable:
“Volunteering at the Alannah & Madeline Foundation was an incredibly rewarding, and humbling experience. It has given me a newfound appreciation for the power of community and has shown me how the actions we take can have a profound impact on the lives of others.”
At the Salvation Army Magpie Nest Cafe, our team helped to run the cafe by preparing food, serving and clearing tables to support vulnerable people who are suffering from poverty in the City of Melbourne.
At the Ronald McDonald House in Parkville, Riverlee staff cooked nutritious meals for families of children with serious illnesses, being treated at the Royal Children’s Hospital, ensuring they have access to healthy home-cooked meals when they arrive home from the hospital, no matter the time of day.
Through our collective efforts, Riverlee packed 250 buddy bags for the Alannah & Madeline Foundation, created 50 relief bundles for Big Hug Group, cooked 100 meals for the Ronald McDonald House, and served 327 meals at the Magpie Nest Cafe.
Riverlee would like to extend our sincere thanks to the charities who welcomed us with open arms and gave us the opportunity to give back to the local community. It was a true honour, and we deeply appreciate all the hard work that you do to make a positive impact in our community.
