FRIENDSHIP SERVICE 

The Friendship Service was created through the Ministry of Health after the closure of the Kimberley Centre in 2006. It is a service for the ex-residents of the centre with the aim of enhancing social and leisure opportunities and to promote inclusion into the community through volunteer friendships. The services covers friendships in Manawatū, Horowhenua, and Kapiti. 

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Volunteers are matched with a person from the service according to interests and hobbies. 

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VOLUNTEER AS A FRIENDSHIP BUDDY

“A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be” – Douglas Pagels 

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Everyone needs a purpose in their lives. We thrive on people feeling valued, seen, and heard. The friendship service is energetic, fun and caring, but can also be quiet and slower paced for the people who prefer this. The service is person-centred and is all about a person’s individual wishes and aspirations. Friendships are amongst the most key factors influencing a person’s quality of life and plays an integral role of enhancing and enriching it too. 

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Having a reliable, trustworthy and caring friend increases a person’s sense of belonging, promote social inclusion and offer new opportunities. 

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Having a friend to walk alongside you makes life more fun and meaningful.  

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A friend can celebrate the good times with you and be there to support you when you’re feeling a bit down or sad. Friendships give us confidence, increase our sense of belonging, boosts happiness and can help to reduce stress. 

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We will meet with you, and your whanau or support person so that we can listen to what your interests, hobbies, aspirations are, so we can match you with a person who we feel you will have a connection with, so a friendship can flourish. Our coordinator will then support you as needed, so you can create many fun, happy memories with your buddy. 

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You might enjoy: 

u  Going to a local café and socialising over coffee

u  Taking a walk together 

u  Doing arts and crafts together

u  Participating in special occasions like birthdays 

u  Going to the movies or a sports game 

u  Let’s not overlook the small things – maybe you just want to be there and talk 

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Attributes that we look for in our friendship volunteers:

u  Patient 

u  Caring

u  A sense of humour

u  Empathic

u  Empowering

u  Motivated

u  Committed

u  Non-judgemental

u  Trustworthy 

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To explore becoming a volunteer, please contact us.