Mark Paddon (Supervisor at Hazel Grove Baptist Church)
I have been supervising
Careforce volunteers for four years. As a church we recognise that it is
not only about what we get from the volunteer but it is the priviledge of
seeing a young person grow and develop and then celebrating with them as
you send them out to serve in other areas of their lives.
Paula Quejada (Current volunteer at Hazel Grove Baptist Church)
I have been blessed with a fantastic supervisor! What I like most about the supervision I receive is that it is not formal and business-like; we have a great working relationship that encourages openness and creativity from both sides. I have been given tasks that have “stretched” and “pruned” me as a person and I am grateful for this opportunity. This is definitely a year I will want to look back on and remember with a smile!
The Rev Andrew Bookless, supervisor in Bargoed, South Wales
As a young person, wondering what to do next after university, I applied to become a Careforce Volunteer, and spent two amazing years involved in children's and youth work and other aspects of church life in an Anglican parish in South Wales.
Out of that came a call to ordination in the Church in Wales, and it's been brilliant 20 years later to have had a succession of Careforce Volunteers working with me here in Bargoed, Deri and Brithdir, three former mining communities in the Valleys. They have contributed so much - starting a nurture/fellowship group for young people and a monthly youth-led service, and being involved in all kinds of children's and youth outreach.
Each Careforce Volunteer has brought something different, but all have inspired,encouraged and helped others through their faith, commitment to Jesus and willingness to serve. It often takes young people to inspire and motivate other young people in the faith, and Careforce has proved a very effective way of helping that happen here.
Liz Perkins, supervisor at the Lodge Trust
The Lodge Trust provides a home and Christian support for 25 adults with a Learning Disability. One of our biggest difficulties is finding Christian workers. This is what originally led us to contact Careforce.
We have been greatly blessed by the support of volunteers for about ten years. It is great for our residents to meet people from different walks of life, and from different countries. Volunteers and residents learn from each other sharing their faith in practical every day situations. Volunteers learn to work within a team and form a greater understanding of people with Learning Disability, gaining valuable work experience. It has been very good that several of our Careforce Volunteers have also stayed on after their volunteer year to work for us as staff members.