A big cheer for our Volunteers!

Where would Pegasus be without out Volunteers? This is easy to answer… closed.

This is why our Volunteers are revered and must be recognised for all they do. What our Volunteers do is varied, with each person, role, and task being just as critical as the other, as it all comes together to make the “Magic of Pegasus” happen.

Volunteers are vital to the operation and delivery of Pegasus’ horse-facilitated therapy programs and activities which assist children, youth, and adults with disabilities. On any given week over the school term, and in our school holiday programs, over 100 volunteers give their time to assist in delivering our programs and support our participants emotional, physical social and mental well-being. 

Being a volunteer at Pegasus has lots of personal benefits too. The selfless act of contributing time, effort and talent to our need, cause, and mission can bring meaning and purpose to one’s life, while increasing self-esteem and wellbeing. Volunteering can also relieve stress and alleviate symptoms of depression (ref: healthdirect.gov.au), whilst having a positive impact on our community.

As a Volunteer at Pegasus, you’ll get to:

• Meet new people and make new friends.
• Have fun whilst giving back to the community.
• Learn new skills.
• Give your time when it suits you, as we are flexible with many needs, which allows you to work around your existing commitments.
• Make a difference.

Featured – The Side-walker

During Pegasus lessons the Side-walker plays an integral role for each mounted rider as they are the person responsible for the rider, and they work in a team with the Coach and the Leader. The Side-walker will help the rider to engage with the class and encourage and assist them with participating in class activities as instructed or where needed.

They:

• Greet and escort the rider to and the mounting area.
• Assist the rider to correctly fit their riding helmet.
• Check that the rider is correctly attired for riding.
• Ensure that special equipment is available and correctly fitted to the horse (NB: some riders require special equipment depending on the disability).
• Monitor the rider for fatigue or discomfort (and bring any of these to the Coaches attention).

Other greatly appreciated Volunteer roles are:

• Program Leaders who are responsible for the horses.
• Stable hands who assist with maintaining stables, feeding equipment and yards, who also focus on the health and well-being of Pegasus Ponies.
• Green-thumbs who assist with beautifying gardens and overall farm maintenance.
• Event Volunteers who simply pitch in wherever they can to help make our fundraising drives successful.

Our valued Volunteers come from:

• Corporate groups where companies want their teams to experience the open air and heart-warming ‘feels’ of the horses and our participants, who are focused on skills-based volunteering initiatives where staff can leverage their specialised skills (that will strengthen the infrastructure of Pegasus).
• Virtual environments where Volunteers completes tasks offsite for Pegasus.
• Environmental groups who contribute towards environmental management or conservation of Pegasus Farm; where they can conduct a range of activities such as land monitoring and ecological restoration such as re-vegetation and weed removal.
• Schools and Colleges who endeavour to provide opportunities for students to learn the true meaning of “social goodness” via service-learning programs. Students get to experience meeting new people from all walks of life through group work and they can develop their relational skills in non-school environments.
• The Lions Club Canberra – Belconnen who are our ‘Masters of the BBQ’, and are always there to help at our events, Bunnings BBQs and anywhere else they can pitch in.

If you are interested in volunteering for Pegasus, our volunteer age starts at 14 years. Click on this link https://pegasusact.com.au/volunteering/volunteer-with-us/ and we will be in touch. Or if you, or someone you know, fits the following criteria, we would love to hear from you. www.seek.com.au/job/61854507