Jakki applied to volunteer at the end of 2018. Although working full time, Jakki felt that she had some spare time on her hands since her children were now older. Jakki had been looking for a voluntary opportunity when she saw a post on social media.
My Volunteering Story
“I hadn’t heard of Aberlour before. I found out about the opportunity of Befriender when one of my friends posted about it on Facebook. When I read about the charity, it seemed really worthwhile and it was going to be local as well. I was thinking about volunteering and it was just a stroke of luck that I saw it.”
“My ex-husband was brought up in residential care. He didn’t have a good experience and so I knew it would make a difference to someone’s life. I felt like I had more time to give, and that if you are in a position to give something back, you should.”
Jakki was matched with an 11-year old boy in Aberlour’s Sycamore service in February 2019:
“We do lots of different things like football and tennis, and I try to encourage healthy options. He’s always pleased to see me when I arrive at the house, he rushes away to get his coat and shoes on. He’s still getting to know me, but we’ve had no issues and I hope it continues the way it is. I already feel the Befriending is very rewarding.”
Staff have noticed that Jakki’s Befriendee always has a smile when he talks about Jakki:
“I asked for a Befriender and the adults helped choose someone that liked the same things as me. Jakki came and the first thing she told me was that she loved Celtic. I liked her straight away, we always go to play football and go to the park. I really enjoy it and one day I went to get lunch with her too. She is nice and I get on with her.” [Befriendee]
Jakki is now empowering others to get involved, with her daughter also running the Edinburgh half marathon to fundraise for Aberlour. Jakki would recommend others to volunteer with Aberlour:
“I’m really glad I saw that link on Facebook and applied when I did. It’s exactly the type of thing I was looking for. I try to encourage others to do the same, like my sister and my friend, because it’s such a great thing to do for children. I hope it does make a difference having me there for him and that he feels more special.”
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