VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH – WINNER JUNE 2022 .

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Sally Coombe –  Multiples Taranaki  

Nominated by –  Sarah Cash – Multiples Taranaki 

What Sarah had to say …

Sally is the absolute backbone of our club. Not only is she our treasurer but she is also the treasurer for Multiples NZ too.

She has worked so hard on our website update, COGs application and literally just about everything else.

She is an organizational super star who has so much on her plate but somehow manages to fit everything into her life. We’d be lost without her!!

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH – WINNER MAY 2022 .

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Georgie Manning –  Wellington Multiples  

Nominated by –  Amy Teague – Wellington Multiples 

What Amy had to say …

Georgie has been really involved in the club and has given years on the committee in numerous roles. She joined the committee when her duo were tiny – they turned four in May – and she continues to work hard to support the club. She has been president for two years and has been dedicated to supporting the changing needs of the club members and building a real community.

She ran playgroup for years (she’ll claim she had help/group efforts etc. but she was key – at least from where I stood). Playgroup was a weekly highlight and well attended, a few families even made arrangements with employers to work flexibly around playgroup!

Georgie is the reason I’m on the committee and she’s given me the confidence to take on bigger roles. She encourages and supports those around her and she’s has built a strong committee. Although I’m sorry Georgie is stepping down as president, I’m pleased she’s staying on in her role as antenatal coordinator and the committee is in a good place.

She has taken on a role with Little shadow and is working to enhance services available to our community in many spaces and she’s a true advocate for families. She is involved in coordinating a workshop for new parents and is ensuring it is inclusive of our community too, with specialist from baby wearing to a twin sleep expert and more.

Georgie is certainly one of the good ones. She supports and inspires, and she’s raising some pretty cool kids.

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH – WINNER FEBRUARY 2022 .

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Dan & Katie Hanson –  Multiples Canterbury 

Nominated by –  Sophie McInnes – Multiples Canterbury

What Sophie had to say …

This husband and wife team are amazing. Katie and Dan joined Multiples Canterbury in early 2021 and their twins aren’t even a year old, but the fab couple already got a regular weekend gathering going near Greymouth.

I think the first message I received from Katie on this topic was when their girls were only 12 weeks old! Our club only has a few families on the Coast, but anyone with multiples knows how good it is to chat with others in the same boat – long may they continue to meet and share lifehacks.

Not only this, but when Alisha announced that she’d be stepping down as magazine editor, Dan was one of two who put up their hand. He and Jemma (a mum of 6yo twin boys over in Christchurch) are now co-editors of the club’s bi-monthly magazine, with one edition under their belts and another in the works.

It’s a great resource for all our members and we’re really looking forward to seeing what they come up with, working together via the power of the internet 🙂

No stopping there though: the Hanson family is in the process of moving to Nelson, which is ironically another area where Multiples Canterbury would love to get a regional hub running again – no pressure, just settle into the new place for now.. *fingers crossed*

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH – WINNER JANUARY 2022 .

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Brodie Bellingham –  Multiples Otago 

Nominated by –  Elyse Blacow – Multiples Otago

What Elyse had to say …

Brodie joined the Committee as our only official Committee Dad when his Partner Hayley returned to work. They switched positions at home, and now share the role of New Parent Coordinator within the Club. Brodie champions the role of “Dad” for our Members. He is front and centre at Playgroups and events.

He is the epitome of “making time” for members often answering the calls of any one of our whānau when needing something at short notice. Brodie is positive, thoughtful and as a Dad of Multiples he adds a whole other layer of thought, process and opinion to our community. Brodie is everything a club could want and then some.

We feel teamwork and community are forefront in the Bellingham/Bomford household with the added bonus of Brodie’s creative problem solving skills and can-do attitude the Club just flows. How lucky are we!

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH – WINNER DECEMBER 2021 .

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Christine Pugh –  Wellington Multiples 

Nominated by –  Amy Teague – Wellington Multiples

What Amy had to say …

Christine is a truly committed volunteer. She is meticulously organised and has revamped the equipment hire process. It’s so streamlined now that it is half the task it once was and I know she has one more change to make to further streamline the whole process. She’s a playgroup regular and is always so inviting to the new members. Her boys are a delight at playgroup too! She even brings the morning tea at times and is happy to step in to open or close when our playgroup coordinator can’t make it. This year she has provided some great events even working around Covid restrictions and doing everything possible to ensure we get a wonderful calendar of events for our members. This years photo shoot again sparked some renewals proving what a hit Christine has made that event. I personally love the way Christine runs it. So easy for members and the photographer she has made a deal with is excellent. The Christmas party was sensational! I’ve had several members reach out to pass on thanks. There was a soft space for babies, a magician, bouncy castles, face painting, a bubble show and of course Santa. She planned it all; although she would say she had help. It all went brilliantly. Of course the committee pitched in on the day but Christine was the driving force, the glue and the fun. She even made wrapping all the gifts fun (her husband chipped in too and we had a lovely evening sharing twin takes). Christine is a wonderful volunteer who puts her all into what she does. Even as her boys creep toward school age and she needs the club less, she still brings the same energy. A fabulous volunteer.

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH – WINNER NOVEMBER 2021 .

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Elizabeth O’Brien –  Wellington Multiples 

Nominated by – Georgie Manning – Wellington Multiples & Amy Teague – Wellington Multiples

What Georgie had to say …

Liz joined our committee at the same time I did over 3years ago when both our sets of twins were just a couple of months old. She has held the secretary role during this time as well as membership and New arrivals. Liz is the (not-so) secret mum of our committee – her lovely house has become home base for meetings and planning days and she feeds and waters us while keeping us organised and on task. Without her encouragement and support I would not have taken on the presidency role. She is the cool cucumber to my excited management style. I am grateful to her nearly every day for how she has empowered our committee members with confidence to shake off “rusty can” moments and reshape their own roles. She is an ADMIN QUEEN! In her time she has overhauled our shared drive and countless docs and spreadsheets and processes so that everyone else’s admin load is greatly reduced. Every year she has assisted membership renewals and continues to help refine the process. She has recently let us know that she needs to leave our committee to dedicate more time to burgeoning work commitments and has already begun a shadow training our new secretary 6 months out from our AGM to ensure a seamless handover. I nominated her for volunteer of the year in our first year volunteering together and every lovely thing I said then still stands +1000 more thank yous for the huge heart, passion and organisation she has bought to our committee. She will leave a big gap but also an epic legacy and I am a better volunteer for knowing her and working alongside her. Thanks Liz, you’re a superstar AND a super mum!

What Amy had to say …

Liz has committed four years to this club. She has been fundamental in revitalising playgroup when her duo were young (with a great team of course). She has juggled twin parenting, a job and supporting her husband build a great business, all with a smile. She is an all round great support, she was my buddy when I joined the club and I loved hearing from her and getting support from a twin mum who’d survived the first year, seemingly unscathed. She has been secretary for 2 years (maybe more) and has kept the rest of us organised to keep us moving toward our shared goals. She has also done the new arrivals role for at least that long and did membership before I came onboard (with her encouragement). She held 3 or more roles at one time and kept them all running (then gave me a great handover and easy process to manage). A gold star volunteer who doesn’t just do her job well but also helps the rest of us succeed. Liz has dedicated countless hours of her busy life to support our committee, our community and the many friends she’s made along the way. I’m pleased to call her a friend, and privileged to have had her guidance when I joined as a volunteer. Every club needs a Liz.

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH – WINNER JULY 2021 .

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Hayley Bomford – Multiples Otago

Nominated by – Elyse Blacow – Multiples Otago

What Elyse had to say …

Hayley is the ray of Sunshine that every club needs. Her enthusiasm for the Club and for her role is infectious. She never stops striving for the best for all our Multiples Whanau. She is always on the look out for ways to help not only the Members, but the Committee as well. If you need something, Hayley is your girl. Hayley was thrust into the position of New Parent coordinator at a time we saw an influx of dozens of new members in a VERY short space of time. She took it all in her stride creating so many beautiful packs with such love and care. Her ability to position herself as a safe place for our families to just ‘be’ has to be seen to be believed, her demeanor is so comforting at a time when thats exactly what you need. Hayley makes time for anybody who needs it, is at the forefront of every event to lend a hand and is across so many facets of the Club – much more than just those of her role alone. There are laughs aplenty too! She never stops streamlining, brainstorming or giving back. We are honored to have her as part of our Multiples Otago Committee family.

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH – WINNER SEPTEMBER 2021 .

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Megan Boag – Multiples Canterbury

Nominated by – Carolyn Lister – Multiples Canterbury

What Carolyn had to say …

I am nominating Megan this month as she is one of those people who has been a rock to others during lockdown on top of her regular support. Although no longer on our committee Megan is still an incredible support person, particularly for those in NICU or facing various other challenges. She is great at finding and connecting people in need and bringing them to the attention of committee members so we can provide additional help where necessary.

Officially Megan has been a buddy for eight families over the last two years, although unofficially she has supported many, many more either in person, virtually or through her Facebook posts. During this latest lockdown one of her buddies ended up in hospital with threatened premature labour at 28 weeks. Megan made up a bag of goodies for her and arranged a nurse to drop it to her for a surprise. She also connected the expectant with another of her buddies who had her girls at 27 weeks. 

Megan also really looks out for those who are struggling with anxiety or PND. She can sometimes spend up to 3 hours in a session with a member talking them through things and providing guidance and help to get professional support. 

On top of the one to one support, Megan has arranged catch ups for parents in the Selwyn area over the last year. As another example of support during lockdown Megan reached out to our Selwyn group offering assistance: “If anyone needs anything urgently over the next 3 days, please message me or post on here. It can be a bit daunting stuck in lockdown with multiples especially when they are little or unwell. There may be someone close that could add formula or nappies to their shop for you and drop it off in the driveway on the way past. I’ve supported another family with nappies tonight my girls have grown out of.”

So many of our members have been extremely grateful for the support they have had from Megan: “You’re amazing Megan, so grateful to have you in our community!”

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH – JOINT WINNER JUNE 2021 .

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Simon Taylor – Multiples Counties Manukau

Nominated by – Desiree Morgan – Multiples Counties Manukau

What Desiree had to say …

Simon took on the role of Equipment Officer last year when my workload meant that I couldn’t continue in the role. It was meant to be a temporary role, but Simon has streamlined the spreadsheets and processes and made himself available to members based on when they are able to come and has given the role flexibility that I couldn’t offer. He goes above and beyond for the club members, petitioning for new equipment when needed and also suggesting alternative partnerships for the rare times that the club cannot service everyone’s equipment needs. He also juggles the role with his very busy real life job so I think he deserves an amazing amount of kudos and we appreciate all his efforts for the club.

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH – JOINT WINNER JUNE 2021

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Laura King – Multiples Canterbury

Nominated by – Sophie McInnes – Multiples Canterbury

What Sophie had to say …

Laura is one of those highly valuable volunteers without an official title or committee role, but makes sure that everyone is ok and finds solutions when they’re not. She has been a member since 2017; her twins were born December 2017 and she also has a 4 year old. Laura first volunteered as a buddy when her twins were only 4 months old, and has now supported 12 families in this way. She is even a buddy for a triplet family, drawing on experience as a nanny of triplets for 9 years. She goes out of her way to help, particularly with mums who are struggling, respects families’ boundaries, is a playgroup regular, and offers great advice on all kinds of topics via our Facebook group. Laura also lets the committee know about tricky situations or whether someone needs more support, for instance she referred a struggling buddy for one of our Covid grants in 2020. Laura is a wonderful mum and human being, and the club wouldn’t function half as well without people like her.