With a background in both education & communication in the local Peninsula community, I felt that the services provided by Clothes4U were a good fit for my interests and abilities with regard to volunteering. Starting with this not for profit organisation in 2015, I have been a part of our growth and expansion to our 2 current locations for both Men and Women. Our marketing and outreach programs extends to many agencies, charities, community groups, food banks, organisations and educational institutions across the Mornington Peninsula and beyond. The most heart-warming aspect of volunteering for Clothes4U is witnessing the joy of seeing our clients' satisfaction with their outfits and accessories, and the confidence and self esteem this brings.

Inspired by the needs of many in our community, I became one of the founding members of Clothes4U in 2013. After retiring, following many years of secondary teaching at a local secondary school, I wanted to continue to contribute to our community. Volunteering with Clothes4U enables me to help people to feel more confident and capable of participating in work and in everyday activities by helping them to find clothes and shoes to suit their circumstances. I enjoy being part of a team of volunteers who are responding to community needs. By volunteering, I can meet and help many people by using skills that I developed over many years of working in schools. I also enjoy training new people when they apply to volunteer with us. I am very happy that Clothes4U provides an outlet for the free recycling of clothes so that they can be repurposed, rather than being simply thrown away. Working at Clothes4U is something that I enjoy very much and it helps me to understand more about the community in which we live and to encourage and support it.

I started with Clothes4U at its inception in 2013. With a background of secretarial employment, assisting a number of CEOs and running my own business, I was able to be instrumental in the creation and implementation of policy for Clothes4U. I enjoy nothing more than seeing the transformation of clients who have been attended by our wonderful volunteers. There is nothing more fulfilling than seeing the transformation of clients from the time they enter the boutique to the time they leave.

I was a secondary school teacher for over 35 years and in the later years a Career Councillor and Careers Pathway coordinator. C4U greatly appealed to me as it involved interacting with clients to find helpful and supportive solutions to help improve their self esteem. Following very positive comments from friends about C4U, I decided after retiring that volunteering was a way of ultilising my skills and continuing to focus on individuals who needed support in a respectful environment. I have volunteered at C4U from 2018. Each client who visits C4U has their own story and the volunteers have time and empathy to listen and personalise their needs, by providing some of the basic necessities of life like clothing, toiletries and often bedding. Most importantly when clients leave our Boutique they know they can return to our supportive non -judgemental environment. Working with other likeminded volunteers has proved very rewarding and stimulating.