Gail Mazur always knew that once she retired from full-time work she would volunteer and give back to the community. “I knew I needed something to do after I resigned from my job but I didn’t know what,” she says.
As fate would have it, however, Gail happened to be watching TV one night when she came across a piece about Story Dogs – a charity that pairs canines with children with learning difficulties. “I had a spoodle who was a very easy-going and placid dog, and I thought, we could do this!” she says.
Before long Gail was filling out the volunteer application form. A few months later, she and her dog Brandy started with the organisation.
Gail loves seeing the difference that her involvement makes, and marvels at just how much the children change from week to week – even the children who were reticent about interacting with dogs.
Gail Mazur and Sam Bayford-Brown from Story Dogs with Austin the groodle.
“I had one little boy who wasn’t too sure about dogs. When I asked him if he didn’t like dogs he just shrugged his shoulders. So I put myself in between him and Brandy and we walked to the library. By week three, however, he would bound out of the classroom and would come running down to give Brandy a big hug. He would then sit down and we would pick up his book and we would read it.”
When asked how different volunteering is from full-time work, Gail says: “The reward is the best part. You get gratification straight away. Every week when you go see the kids something comes up and you think to yourself, ‘Oh! That was really nice!’”
The joy that comes from giving back is something another Story Dogs volunteer, Sam, knows well. “It’s rewarding and you get a sense of purpose,” she says of volunteering. “I feel very privileged to be allowed to spend time with these children and to be able to allow them to grow. And to see their joy.”
For the past few months, Sam and her groodle, Austin, have been visiting a school specialising in meeting the learning needs of children with severe speech disorders. Austin is a specially trained alert dog who came into Sam’s life because one of her sons is type 1 diabetic. Now that her son no longer needs Austin, Sam wanted to share Austin’s gifts with others.
“Austin is very robust and very well trained,” she says. “He’s public access trained so he’s used to schools and hospitals. He’s just the easiest dog and I wanted to utilise his skills.”
Sam and Austin discovered they had skills that could be transferred to a different setting, and ended up being a great fit for the school.
“Austin and I were so warmly and wholeheartedly welcomed into the school it was a joy. In fact, I’m tearing up saying this. It’s just a beautiful school with a lot of heart and a lot of soul.”
It’s not just the humans that enjoy their time volunteering. The day that Sam and Austin visit the school is perhaps Austin’s favourite day of the week. “Austin spends the whole of Wednesday morning with lots of pats and hugs and kisses … ” Sam says. “He’s like a little king, a little prince in the school. He drags me in there.”
And the students get just as much out of Austin’s visits as he does.
“In such a short period of time those children have all progressed,” Sam says. “A lot of it is about communication and interaction. Each one of them has moved forward. They’ve all grown.”
Arabelle and Juliet from The Glenleighden School in Brisbane, who were photographed with Sam for the Guardian photoshoot, have built a wonderful rapport with Austin. “The rapport came through the dog because the dog was the icebreaker,” Sam says.
Like many who find their way into charity work, Sam volunteers for a cause that is close to her heart. She is passionate about instilling the love of reading into children. “I’m dyslexic myself, and I’m a mother of three boys who have always been reluctant readers. It took me to my mid-40s to find the joy in books. Feeling the pages and reading, it has to be instilled at quite a young age.”
As a former police officer, Sam has always felt community minded. Now she has retired from work, she, like many others in her position, loves giving back to her community and volunteers in a number of places. Volunteering gives her a sense of purpose.
“There’s a sense of giving back and allowing the next generation to blossom,” she says. It’s something she feels everyone can do. “Everyone has unique skills they can share. Just 20 minutes with a child reading in a reading program, you can see the difference you make. I feel very valued and the teachers are so grateful.
“It’s a reboot for yourself,” she says of volunteering. “Not many people take time out for themselves. Although you’re taking time out to help others you’re still taking time out for yourself. And it’s not your normal routine … You get a lot of good feelings by making a difference and it’s unconditional. There’s something very beautiful about witnessing the connection between animals and children.”
For these women, like the thousands of volunteers who give up their time across their communities, volunteering is not just a chance to give back, but a way to get just as much back in return.
This is a four part series in partnership with Helga’s. Helga’s is on a mission to spread kindness.
Read more about Helga’s Kindness mission here.
Photographs: Melanie Jane
