It’s not common to find someone who loves volunteering in their community, as much as Logan City local Heather Christensen.
Past President of Quota Beenleigh, and current Eisteddfod Coordinator, Junior Quota Club mentor, Beenleigh Yatala Junior Chamber of Commerce facilitator and board member of the Beenleigh Yatala Senior Chamber of Commerce, Ms Christensen says there’s nothing quite like volunteering.
“It’s one of the best things you can do,” Ms Christensen said. “You make a lot of friends and can find out what’s going on in your community, which can sometimes be hard these days.”
Heather Christensen. Credit: Melissa Watt
The Beenleigh Quota Club is a not-for-profit organisation helping people in need within the community, with a focus on supporting women and children. The Junior Quota Club is a program for young people in the community who want to volunteer their time to help others and learn new skills.
“The program is about training for life for highschool students,” Ms Christensen said. “It teaches kids how to run a meeting, learning about fundraising and hands-on work.
“In school there’s only so many young people that can take on leadership roles, and there are too many students that don’t get recognised for their hard work, but with the Junior Quota club they get that chance to be recognised and to lead.
“This program allows them to grow and make sure they get an opportunity to shine their light.”
Ms Christensen is also part of running the Quota Eisteddfod which is a music, dance and drama competition for youth.
“It started as a three day event, and is now a 28 day event,” she said. “We’ve had over 13,000 performances over the years, and this year is its 34th year running, all organised by volunteers.”
Ms Christensen was also nominated Logan’s 2016 Citizen of the Year.
“It’s really lovely to be recognised, but it’s not why you do it,” she said. “I just love helping young people.”
Originally from Bundaberg, Ms Christensen moved to Logan City in the 1980’s and since then has always been involved in helping the community, from the P&C, to Lifeline counsellor and marriage guidance counsellor.
“I’ve been volunteering for many years, I still do it today, and hope to continue,” she said.
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