Volunteer of The Month August 23

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 Congratulations to our Volunteer Of the Month winner for August 2023! Elyse Blacow of Multiples Otago

 

Elyse has the hugest heart for the multiples community of anyone I have ever met. She has completely revitalized the club and put her heart and soul into its members. She completes any task she sets her mind to, has a personal relationship with all the members including back stories and where we can help, and is constantly finding ways we can help within the community. I solidly believe that without Elyse the club would have fallen to pieces. There is no one more deserving than her!

 

 

And a huge shout out to the other nominees for this month.  Kes Fairchild Multiples Otago, Tracey Ferguson Multiples Counties Manukau, Anthony Barnao  Multiples Hutt Valley, Jessica Fisher  Multiples Taranaki, Hannah Barnao Multiples Hutt Valley, Jennifer Blanchett Nelson satellite, and Nikita Taylor Multiples BOP. The mahi you all do is seen and appreciated. 

June/July Volunteer of the Month Winner

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There aren’t many people who consistently and without question go above and beyond for others in our community but Christine is one of them.

Christine has been a part of the Multiples Hutt Valley community since welcoming her own twin boys to the world six years ago. She talks openly about wanting to give back what she was blessed to receive herself as a new mum to multiples, and she’s certainly ‘payed it forward’ many times over.

Christine is one of our volunteer buddies for new families in the club, someone who reaches out with messages of support, coordinates deliveries of welcome packs, meals and checks in to make sure everyone is as supported as possible as they navigate the challenges of that first year.

At every one of our events you’re guaranteed to find Christine making the tea and coffee, making sure our families feel welcome and included, and is always there to set up or pack down, pitching in wherever she is needed. Her dedication to our community is unmatched!

You might even recognise Christine’s name from the Multiples NZ Facebook page! It’s not uncommon to see her reply to a range of questions or posts from our wider MNZ community with the most supportive, caring and genuinely personal responses. She’s always first on the scene to make people’s day a little brighter – our spreader of sunshine, and we are so proud to have her as part of our team!

 

Congratulations Christine! and also to our other nominees for June/July Noeleen Warman and Lindsay Hamilton.

Volunteer of the Month April 2023

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Congratulations to :

Fei Hsia & Phil Cahill

 

Multiples Otago-

 

Fei Hsia and Phil have been members of Multiples Otago since their twins, Nathan and Alec were born late 2014.

 

Since then, Fei Hsia has become a General Committee member. Alongside Fei Hsia, her husband Phil has been and continues to be an integral part of the club.

As a unit, these two pick up the odd jobs, and are ready to connect with people when it makes geographic sense for them to do so and also, adding a layer of knowledge and unique thought process at a committee level. This is of much value. They are at every playgroup as a whānau, helping to cater, provide spare hands, managing logistics, and always with an empathetic ear.

 

As both Nathan and Alec have grown older, they too have become a part of these Playgroups and alongside their younger brother Liam, Nathan and Alec take on their roles as pack up crew very seriously and with minimal hesitation. You will find them with cloths and brooms at the end of any playgroup, while Phil and Fei Hsia are helping the last few members get their children to the Car, or helping clean up in the kitchen.

 

The Cahill family are an example of a generational commitment to our cause.

Knowing that when they faced their own challenges at the beginning of the lives of their own Multiples the club was there for them, is the driving force behind why they continue to get behind Multiples Otago. It is because of whānau like Team Cahill, that the club will continue to be here in the future.

 

I am nominating on behalf of our entire committee, with the support of many of our members, with a nomination long overdue.

 

 

 

Also congratulations to our other nominees for April

Hannah Barnao- Multiples Hutt Valley

Jessamy and Will- Multiples Canterbury

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.