Relay for Life

Wendy Richards from Volunteering New Plymouth

Graham Ault Volunteering New Plymouth’s volunteer Volly Voices show interviewer & I had the privilege of having Lisa Russell Events Coordinator and Talia Greiner the new Volunteer Coordinator with Cancer Society Taranaki as guests on our Radio show Volly Voices with Access Radio Taranaki 104.4fm which is aired on Sundays at 2pm.
The main emphasis was initially to focus on the upcoming Relay for Life which is being held on Saturday March 29th2025 at TET Stadium, Elliot Street, Inglewood starting at 10.30 am and going till 10.30pm. We originally planned to talk about the volunteers that are needed for this event; however, it was great to learn that they have the volunteers that they need due to the great work of the team and the volunteers who have supported this event in previous years putting their hands up again. Instead, we talked about the great work that Cancer Society Taranaki are doing and the different roles that the Volunteers
have within the organisation as well as the services that are on offer for a person with a cancer diagnosis and their family.

A key focus was then to encourage people to put together teams to participate in the Relay for Life the fundraising goal of $200K– which at time of writing stood at $25K+ a pretty good start.
We all know someone within our circle of friends / and or family who has been affected by cancer – so gather some friends together and support this great cause for an amazing day. If you gather 10 members together at $15 ($150) this will secure your site. This includes your participation in the ceremony and event on the day, a goodie bag of treats, a candle and candle bag for the Candlelight ceremony and the chance to win spot prizes on the day, Entertainment throughout the event, online personal fundraising page, social media post and story templates to make sharing your cause easy and also ongoing support from your local Relay for Life team who will be there with you every step of the way. So, gather friends, whanau, classmates and workmates together for an amazing way to support the fight against cancer. Do it now and gather the momentum till March 29th and see how much you can collectively raise for this challenge.

We also talked about the volunteer vacancies that are available for the receptionist position in both New Plymouth and Hawera.
The New Plymouth role shifts that are available are Tuesday and Friday 9am – 12pm / 12.30pm and Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons from 12 pm/12.30pm - 3pm/ 3.30pm. The key requirements for this role are that you have strong organizational skills and computer literacy and ability to get along easily with others. This can be a busy office so the ability to ensure a positive and inclusive environment is very important. They also have casual “on call” opportunities for those who prefer a more flexible commitment The Hawera role is to answer the phone and direct calls as required, to greet visitors in a warm and friendly manner and support the staff with tasks that may arise during the shift. Shifts are available during office hours between 10am – 3pm and the number of hours per shift can be semi flexible,

Where can you learn more: If you are interested in learning more about Relay for Life or the Volunteer Reception roles listen to Access Radio on Sunday February 16th at 2pm. This show is also available to listen on Spotify and Apple Podcast on the Monday after the show has aired - to find this go to either Access Radio Taranaki website and these recordings can be found under Community or to Volunteering New Plymouth website and look under Volunteers and Volly Calls.

Who can you contact: If you are curious to learn more and do not have access to the internet, then contact Wendy (Monday to Thursday) at Volunteering New Plymouth on 06 758 8986, Email: admin@vnp.nz or Ph/Text: 022 571 4228 for more information.