As we count down to the Queensland Mining Awards announcement next Wednesday, we are taking time to showcase the great work of our teams who have been selected as finalists. Today we learn about how our Community team has made a difference in Central Queensland.
Declining volunteerism is a challenge faced by many not-for-profit organisations, and the Capricorn Helicopter Rescue Service (CapRescue) in Central Queensland is no exception to the trend.
The region relies on CapRescue to address the gap in access to health and community services.
In 2021 alone, CapRescue completed 390 tasks including medical emergencies, hospital transfers and search and rescue missions. In turn, CapRescue depends on volunteers to hold community events and fundraisers and to develop content for newsletters, social media, websites and marketing to promote the service.
Through our Community, Diversity and Inclusion team, Thiess joined forces with the organisation’s volunteer program, StepUp CapRescue, to develop a strategy to attract younger volunteer, aligning with our commitment to provide youth pathways into the workforce, a recognised benefit of volunteering.
As a direct result of Thiess’ support, StepUp CapRescue has developed a Youth Volunteer program that offers students a Certificate II in Active Volunteering to meet the ongoing challenges presented in the decline of an older volunteer demographic.
Thiess’ ongoing support of the program also demonstrated strong results, with StepUp CapRescue volunteers giving 1,200 hours of their time to provide support services in 2021 and played an integral role in raising more than $160,000 for the service.
Our support of the program has been recognised by the Queensland Mining Awards as a finalist in the Community category. We wish the Thiess Community, Diversity and Inclusion team all the best for the awards announcement.