Celebrating International Volunteer Day

On December 5th we celebrate our volunteers. We celebrate those who are making a difference to the lives of children across the country. We celebrate those giving up their time. We celebrate those advocating for our children.

What is the meaning of International Volunteer Day? 

Every year on December 5th, we look to honour volunteers and the impact of their work. They are leading the charge in being a positive beacon of hope around the world and International Volunteer Day recognises that. 

On this day, we say thank you to our incredible volunteers who are the heart and soul of Little LifeSavers. 

The beating heart of Little LifeSavers

Little LifeSavers is a charity that brings the simple but lifesaving skills of CPR to the classroom for children. The sessions are free for schools and teach CPR and basic lifesaving skills to children aged 9-13 in a simple, but memorable, way. The 70-minute sessions are delivered by our wonderful volunteers across the UK. 

Our volunteers come from all walks of life and have the power to transform lives. 

Two lives have been saved already by children who have received Little LifeSavers CPR training (which you can read about here). And some of our volunteers, like mum-of-two Christie, joined after having to use CPR themselves on their loved ones.

How volunteering can help your community

Little LifeSavers volunteers tend to run sessions in their local area. This fosters a sense of community and a shared desire to make a difference. It also spreads the word, as more people recognise how easy these sessions are to organise via schools – especially as they’re free!

One of the teachers at a school we ran a session at said:

“Learning to help others, especially in the sort of situations you describe in your scenarios has a place, both within the curriculum as well as for life in general.”

We quite often ask parents of schools in an area to step forward and volunteer for their child’s school. If we had just three parents per school, we’d be able to achieve our goal of creating an entire nation of Little LifeSavers. 

Hear from those we celebrate

‘Volunteering for Little LifeSavers has given me the opportunity to fit in sessions around my business, meaning I can genuinely help without it impacting day-to-day life. The joy and laughter of the students we teach is worth it time and time again, and I’m so grateful to be a part of such a worthy cause” – Natasha, business owner and volunteer.

“Not only is it a life-changing experience teaching children a skill to save a life, but it is also a chance to practise and feel more confident in performing a skill that is critical for my own medical profession.” – Emily, medical student and volunteer.

“I was looking for a CPR course for my children and an organisation that teaches in schools. When I saw Little LifeSavers, I just knew I had to get involved and help teach CPR to children. It’s something that everyone needs to know how to do.” – Christie, mum and volunteer.

Our volunteers are the lifeline of our charity and it really does have a big impact on how many children across the UK we can reach. 

Our work doesn’t stop in the classroom

Volunteering goes further than the skills built in the classroom. Running a charity also requires people to shout about us and fundraise for us. 

Having an engaged volunteer base helps us to spread the critical message even further. Sharing our social media posts on Facebook or LinkedIn is a great way for you to help us reach new people and share the message of what we are doing. 

Telling your local schools that they can book a Little LifeSavers’ session for free is always helpful.

As a charity funded by donations, we are always grateful for every penny. Even if it’s choosing us as a partner on EasyFundraising – the simple way to help us as you shop.

We are thankful for all types of volunteers. 

Growing each year

Each year we grow and continued volunteer support is essential to our future success. 

We are always on the lookout for more volunteers who can give up just an hour or so of their time to the Little LifeSavers cause. If you or anyone you know is interested, you can find out more about volunteering here. 

This International Volunteer Day, and every other day of the year, we thank the heroes who volunteer for Little LifeSavers. You are creating a nation of empowered children with the confidence to save lives. Thank you!