20 January, 2021
Our ‘family’ of close to 1,400 volunteers are special folk and we appreciate just how wonderful each one of them is. Every year when we honour those who have reached significant service milestones, we’re humbled by the skill, passion and loyalty they bring to their roles. In 2020 we presented long-service certificates to more than 170 volunteers. Here we feature a volunteer story from this incredible collective.
After seeing her mother struggle to accept that she was dying, Jan became interested in the idea of Hospice and agreed to help create a fundraising committee. She has been a key organiser of the Kitchen Tour, fashion parades, home and garden tours, garden parties and art shows, all while raising a young family and running her pharmacy in Albany.
When a house in Orewa’s Pohutukawa Ave was gifted to Hospice, Jan oversaw maintenance and managed the donated goods that were stored next door and displayed on the lawn for fortnightly garage sales.
The Orewa Hospice Shop opened after Jan’s fundraising team convinced the board to invest $2,000 in shop fittings. She later served as a trustee for 10 years, passing the baton to husband Des when he retired. He is still on the Harbour Hospice Trust. Jan says her proudest achievement was A Slice of Hibiscus Hospice, a recipe book that raised $60,000. She puts the fundraising team’s success down to the cause, which touches almost everyone, and the friendships in the committee.
“Even if we weren’t raising funds, we would still meet every month.”
