Alan Carter
RIDBC volunteer
WHEN Alan Carter found himself with some time on his hands, he decided to volunteer for the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC).
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He had a neighbour whose child attended the service in Sydney’s North Rocks, and thought he might be able to do something to help.
Almost 20 years later, Mr Carter - who moved to Valentine in 2002 - is one of the hard-working volunteers who help to raise money and keep things running smoothly at RIDBC Hunter.
“I started in 1996 in at North Rocks,” he said.
“When the opportunity came, I thought it would be a nice place to volunteer to see whether I could do anything for them. I was involved in fundraising, then they moved me across to the IT area because they knew I had an interest in that role. That was a great learning curve for me. I learned so much.”
As well as helping with fundraising events, washing cars and doing general administration duties, Mr Carter helps the teachers and educators at RIDBC Hunter with any IT issues. He created a database that was used for storing volunteer information for many years, and is the resident photographer at events.
Mr Carter initiated a fundraising event called Hunter Splash, a “swim-a-thon” which raised about $150,000 during the 10 years it was held at the University of Newcastle pool.
He also volunteers his time for Rotary and Valentine’s Lions Club, and has built websites for the men’s and women’s Probus clubs in his area.
Kim Simpson, of RIDBC Hunter, nominated Mr Carter for the Hunter Hero Award.
“We all agree that we couldn’t imagine a week without Alan Carter at RIDBC Hunter,” she said.
“His attitude and dedication to RIDBC makes him a worthy recipient of all sorts of accolades, but he is happy enough with a smile and a thank you for all his hard work.”
Ms Simpson said Mr Carter had been a huge help at their recent Finding Dory movie fundraiser at Westfield Kotara. She said he had helped with the planning and set up, and had organised free parking for the volunteers.
He took photos of people who attended the event, and left the movie early so that he could edit them and get them online that afternoon.
Mr Carter said he had lots of things to do for RIDBC Hunter, as well as other charities, but he enjoyed doing them.
“You learn so much, and gain so much knowledge yourself,” he said.
“It’s very satisfying and rewarding, and rewarding doesn’t necessarily have to mean dollars.
“The staff are so appreciative of all of the volunteers.”
