Recent events have shone a light on the incredible work of those who selflessly volunteer to keep communities safe.
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From the CFA and SES to those who provide meals and shelter to people when they are in need, volunteers are an important part of the fabric of Benalla and district.
But it’s not only in emergencies that volunteers make valuable contributions to the community.
At Tomorrow Today, Benalla’s independent community foundation, more than 100 people gave their time to help families, children and young people to thrive in 2025.
Tomorrow Today’s Education Benalla Program manager Sally Matheson said Tomorrow Today delivered more than 20 programs as part of the Education Benalla Program.
“From nurturing families antenatally through to Year 12 scholarships, we provide support for Benalla families before their children are born right through to students moving to tertiary education,” she said.
“There is no way we could deliver those programs successfully without the help of our wonderful volunteers.
“At the moment we are looking for people to assist in four of our programs: PEEP, Kinder Pals, Reading Buddies and Connect9.
“These programs work with different age groups and also have different time commitments, so there’s sure to be something that will suit anyone looking to volunteer.”
Denise Tanner has been a PEEP volunteer for more than 10 years.
“I started volunteering not long after I retired,” she said.
“I now volunteer two mornings at PEEP, and I have other volunteering roles in the community too.
“But I love the babies and the mums are great.
“The staff are terrific, they’ll let you know if something needs to be done.
“It's a very friendly atmosphere and it’s not like a job. I really enjoy being there.”
Denise said she loves the feeling of knowing she is helping someone.
“You just have to smile, and say hello and have a bit of a chat,” she said.
“Because some people just need a bit of a chat.”
Tammy Gommers has lived and worked in Benalla for 45 years.
She has raised eight children and is now a grandparent to an impressive 23 grandchildren.
When she retired she decided to look for something to give shape to her days and volunteering was a natural choice.
“When I saw that Tomorrow Today was looking for volunteers I rang to find out what I could volunteer for,” she said.
“It turns out that it was a lot.”
Tammy initially undertook ConnectParent training to be a community connector and then became a PEEP volunteer.
While she enjoys both roles, it was as a Kinder Pal that Tammy found her passion.
She realised reading to children and having conversations with them about books and their play was really rewarding.
“I only did the last term of last year and it was just so fulfilling and I had a couple of the little ones that really attached themselves to me, and that was amazing,” she said.
The connection to other volunteers has also been important for Tammy.
“I found the ConnectParent training course so interesting, I learnt so much.”
She also enjoyed meeting other women that all lived in Benalla.
“There's only one of them that I already knew,” she said.
“And now, after the training, I know seven new people. isn't that lovely?
“It's a connection, not just to the people you volunteer for.
“And it's just nice to make new friends.”
Volunteering isn’t just for retirees. Benalla teenager, Abby Hammond, is a full-time student studying Education at La Trobe University in Wodonga.
She volunteered as a Reading Buddy in 2025.
For her, the experience was not only personally rewarding, it also helped her realise that she’d made the right decision to become a teacher.
“I could see a lot of what I was doing at Uni correlate with what was happening in the classroom,” she said.
“I could use my knowledge and be aware of how the kids were learning.
“In the reading buddy program I’d usually work one-on-one with a student for about half an hour, and then I’d stay on in the classroom a bit longer to help just because I wanted to.”
Abby found the most rewarding thing for her was being part of a student’s learning journey
“My experience as a reading buddy has been a really positive one. I loved building connections with the students,” she said.
“I (liked) seeing the confidence of the students grow and seeing that I was actually making a difference in their learning.
“And not just their reading, from the start to the end of the year, everything else improved so much too.
“You can see when they sat down with a book, they were learning to enjoy it and their confidence in all areas was growing.”
Husband and wife Neville and Linda Scriven are volunteers in the Connect9 program where they each mentor a Year 9 student over a term of structured activities.
Neville has mentored since 2022 and shared his experience supporting local young people.
“Each year is different, but there’s a trust that grows during each program,” he said.
“I think they know that you’re there to support them as much as you can.”
Linda said it’s only a small amount of time to give, and it makes a big difference in the community.
“It is a really lovely thing,” she said.
Ms Matheson urged anyone with an interest in volunteering to get in touch.
“The skills and experience that volunteers bring to Tomorrow Today and the Benalla community are invaluable,” she said.
“We would love to hear from anyone who is interested in volunteering with us.”
To learn more about Tomorrow Today’s volunteering opportunities please contact Janene Humphries on 5762 1211, email janenehumphries@tomorrowtoday.com.au or visit www.tomorrowtoday.com.au/volunteering/
You don’t need any prior experience to volunteer – training and assistance is provided by experienced staff.
Volunteers need to hold or be willing to apply for a working with children check.
Training for early years volunteers (PEEP, Kinder Pals and Reading Buddies) is on Monday, February 23.
Training for Connect9 Mentors is on Tuesday, February 10.