Karen Jarvis is a Voluntary Services Coordinator for the trust. Here we chat to her to find out more about her and what brought her to our trust.
How long have you been in your current role?
A joyful seven months.
How did you become interested in the working in voluntary services?
Honestly, I was looking for a part time post, but when I saw the Voluntary Services Coordinator job spec, I really wanted to do this role.
What is the best thing about your role?
Genuinely it’s the volunteers. They make me smile and laugh, and they touch my heart every day. I am inspired by them; they drive me to further strengthen and grow the community spirit they have as a team. I want to ensure they feel valued and that their contribution to the trust is recognised.
What do you think people would be surprised to learn about our volunteers?
We have close to 200 volunteers at Eastbourne and just shy of 400 across the trust, and we continue to and still want and need to recruit more.
Each year we hold ‘Long Service Awards’ for our volunteers, where we recognise them for achieving 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 years of committed service. This year a total of 107 volunteers were awarded for a combined 931 years of service. Our longest serving volunteer has been here for 43 years; that’s dedication!
Who has inspired you in your career?
My father. In his community my father is known as ‘The Legend’ and that is a true description. I am biased, but he has the kindest nature and will do anything for anyone. He is also hilarious – and I like the fact that by proxy I must be the legends daughter 😉
I also admire sports professionals. Their dedication is relentless and their passion is their career, which is a powerful example to all.
I love my role because…
…it makes me smile, and for that I thank the volunteers.
Anything else you would like to tell us?
Each day I try to take some time to go and engage with the volunteers, to share positive news and thank them for their support.
When you see a volunteer can I encourage you to take time to say hello, thank them and make them feel valued too?