Former nurse and local resident Avon Lines smiles when she talks about her work as a volunteer coordinator at Neighbourhood Support for Albert-Eden-Roskill, a role she has held since 2006.
“Community is about being there for each other,” she says. “If we can be with people, make a person in the community smile and make them feel a little bit safer, my job is done.”
Neighbourhood Support Auckland works to make homes and streets safer and more caring places to live.
Working with locals
Albert-Eden Local Board partners with Neighbourhood Support each year for Neighbours Day.
Avon works with Annie Heem, who joined Neighbourhood Support in 2010. Together, they help community groups organise their events with funding from Albert-Eden Local Board. This year, 28 groups from the area received support for community gatherings aimed at turning neighbours into friends and streets into communities, a key priority for the local board. Auckland Emergency Management took part too, providing information and resources to help build resilient neighbourhood communities.
Looking after the community
Sentiments about increasing community resilience are echoed by Annie. “I went from looking after my family to looking after my community," she says.
"What keeps me in this job is the satisfaction of putting something back and making our communities a little bit better."
