On top of her day job, a Timaru volunteer has still found the time to help two extra organisations.
As part of this year’s International Volunteer Year, Volunteering Mid and South Canterbury is throwing a spotlight on volunteers across the region.
Theodora van Merrienboer received a certificate of appreciation for the work she put into the community.
She was nominated by Citizens Advice Bureau manager Anne-Marie Chapman for providing administrative support to the free weekly legal clinic.
The clinic provides South Canterbury residents with 15-minute sessions with a lawyer, and there are phone slots for people in more remote parts of the region.
Mrs van Merrienboer also volunteered for the South Island Special Olympics where she was the secretary and trustee.
She said the reason she volunteered was to help out in the community.
‘‘There are a lot of people who need any help and this is my way of giving them support.’’
She said volunteering at Citizens Advice Bureau was an interesting role.
‘‘You are meeting so many different people with all sorts of needs.’’
In the last financial year, 400 people went through the legal clinic.
Some of those queries ranged from tenancy and employment agreements, wills and consumer issues along with relationship breakdowns.
‘‘You are taking a small part in their process to get their issue sorted.’’
Mrs Chapman said Mrs van Merrienboer had stepped up to be the lead for the legal clinic.
She worked as a contact person between the bureau and the legal clinic; organising rosters and filling in when other volunteers were unavailable. She ensured the legal clinic’s reception was covered each week.
She also volunteered to create a handbook to standardise service for the clinic.
Mrs Chapman said she was ‘‘very helpful’’.
The legal clinic had a 7am start, and while sometimes only one or two people arrived, other days there could be 18 people already waiting before it was opened.
