May 16, 20214 min read

Happy National Volunteer Week

We say it every year, but we want to take this moment to laud it upon our wonderful volunteers!

Without you the Gig Buddies project wouldn’t function. To all past and current day volunteers who have helped tackle social isolation for so many, thank you.

We’re indebted to your selflessness, kindness and all round generosity. Thanks to your efforts over 300 buddies have been paired up.

We now want to replicate these successes on the Central Coast, and to mark this year’s National Volunteer Week we called on a group of Sydney participants to detail what the program means to them.

Thanks to Jack, Joni, Nalyn, Kirstie and Anushka for giving their time and for sharing their thoughts. To hear what they had to say, click play on the clip below.

Thank you to our Sydneysiders for talking about their involvement and for informing those north of the Hawkesbury about the project’s benefits.

And to everyone who gives their time to our program, happy National Volunteer Week.

Refer and win

If you know someone who would be a suitable fit for Gig Buddies Central Coast, we’re offering you the chance to win a cash prize.

We’re eager to provide the same benefits to those living on the Coast. For every referral made, whether it's a buddy or volunteer, you’ll go in the draw to win one of three prizes.

We’ll be giving away $100 cash to the person who is drawn first out the hat, with $50 going to the runner up and we’ll reward the third person with $25.

We’re looking for both volunteers and for adults with mild to moderate learning disabilities and/or autism. They must reside within the Central Coast and all referrals must submit an online application. Buddies can sign up by clicking here while volunteers can load up the following link.

If you have any questions or would like more information about our referral competition, send us an email: info@gigbuddiessydney.org, get in touch on Facebook Messenger or contact us via text or on the phone on 0422 061 990.

Land ahoy!

Following the announcement that dancing is back on the agenda, we can’t wait to see everyone’s moves on Cockatoo Island this Thursday!

This is your last chance to buy tickets to our belated birthday. We have a handful of spots left and once they’re gone, they’re gone.

We’ll be docking at Cockatoo Island for 6pm, partying on the iconic island until 9pm. Tickets cost $36 each and can be bought by clicking here.

Let’s get physical 💪

If you’re unable to burn enough calories from dancing at our birthday bash, why not join us the day after for a ‘get fit with Gig Buddies’ Zoom session?

It’s time to roll out the yoga mat as we work up a sweat to a number of YouTube fitness videos.

Our Zoom session will last for one hour. We will be stopping for plenty of rests and will encourage attendees to “go at their own pace”.

If you would like to join us for our online fitness session, click on the link below:

Friday 21/5

- 4pm: Get fit with Gig Buddies

All online games will take place via Zoom. For information on how to use Zoom, load up the following easy read guide written by Learning Disability Wales. Alternatively, click here to check out our 'how to use Zoom' video.

If you have any questions or would like more information, send us an email: info@gigbuddiessydney.org or info@gigbuddiescentralcoast.org or call/SMS us on 0402 708 814.

Gimme five

It’s been a busy week on the pairing front.

We’re delighted to welcome our five newest matches to the family: from top to bottom, Ashley and Peter (L - R), Chanel and Monique (L - R), Emma and Sarah (L - R), Liam and Jake (L - R) and Audrey and Kirsty (L - R).

We can’t wait to hear about their gig buddy adventures.

Two more to go

And we’re excited to be able to soon pair up our two most recently trained volunteers.

Thanks to Josh and Tom (above, L - R) for coming in last week. We look forward to introducing them to their buddies in due course.

Vote for us

Our parent company, ACL Disability Services, has been selected as a finalist for this year's Better Business Awards - and we’re calling on the Gig Buddies community to spare two minutes to vote for them.

Better Business Partnership is a business sustainability program, aimed at supporting small and medium sized businesses to be more successful through sustainability.

To vote for ACL, click here to access the Better Business Awards page. Once the page has loaded up scroll to the bottom, enter your name and email and look for the ‘Select Category’ dropdown menu.

From there select the ‘Social Enterprise and Community’ option where you’ll find ACL Disability Services - North Sydney

Turn on the telly

Love on the Spectrum returns to our screens tomorrow.

For those not in the know, Love on the Spectrum introduces audiences to real people with autism, who want to find love and connection. Season 2 continues to tell the stories of people on the spectrum as they navigate the world of dating and relationships.