In honour of #VolunteersWeek, Everton in the Community has been celebrating the work of its loyal and dedicated volunteers and the impact they make in ensuring the Club’s charitable arm is regularly recognised as one of the UK’s top sporting charities.

The charity currently has over 250 active volunteers, each of whom volunteer their time and efforts in support of its work across the Blue Mile and beyond. From providing a helping hand to its pioneering programmes, to helping raise vital funds for the charity through its fundraising activities, Everton in the Community’s volunteer programme offers something for everyone.

“I was actively looking for something to do outside of the world of work and felt it was my time to give something back to my community” explains EitC volunteer, John Kenny who predominantly gives his time to the charity’s Tackling the Blues mental health project.

“Now that I’ve retired, my volunteering is even more important to me. Volunteers allow charities to deliver their good work even further. Alongside the time and effort volunteers give, they also bring a wide range of skills, abilities and knowledge which are all made available to those charities.”

#VolunteersWeek provides charities from all across the UK with the opportunity to put the spotlight on the impact their volunteers make to non-profitable organisations. Many charities are currently dependent on their volunteers more than ever, as Ryan, another volunteer at Everton in the Community highlights:

“Volunteers are tremendously important to charities at the moment given the current climate that we find ourselves in. They help spread the good word that other charities are doing and take it further afield to people who might not know about them, as well as helping to raise vital funds for the charities themselves.”

In wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Everton in the Community’s focus has turned to providing outreach and engagement support through the Blue Family campaign, which to date has provided support to more than 6,000 at-risk and vulnerable individuals across the city through emergency food parcels, assistance with utilities, welfare calls and mental health support, with volunteers stepping up to the challenge where possible.

Another volunteer who has also been part of the Club’s and the charity’s campaign to provide assistance is Julie Naybour.

“There’s been many uplifting moments volunteering at Everton in the Community but I can honestly say that right now is one of the most special times, not because of the awful thing that’s happening with the coronavirus but how Everton have stepped up to the challenge," she says.

"They have been exemplary and just to be a small cog in the Blue Family charity makes me proud to be an Evertonian.”

While volunteers make a lasting difference through Everton in the Community’s delivery, they can also gain confidence and learn new skills. Becoming a volunteer with Everton in the Community offers individuals the chance to take on new challenges, have fun and make new friends in a tight-knit community which supports one another.

“I get an enormous sense of pride for being associated with Everton in the Community,” said Ian, another volunteer who proudly represents the charity.

“The staff, volunteers are all such great people and I really have made some great friends for life there.

"When anybody asks me about Everton in the Community, I always borrow a quote from a fellow volunteer, Patrick who said once: 'You come to Everton in the Community feeling good, but you go away feeling great'. That’s how I feel.

"There's also a famous quote from the actor Jack Nicholson which stands out for me when I think of Everton in the Community - [in the film As Good As It Gets] he said: 'You make me want to be a better man' .

"Everton in the Community makes me want to be a better man.”

Find out more about the work volunteers do at Everton in the Community here.