VOLUNTEERS CAN FIND THE PERFECT ROLE THROUGH VOLUNTEER VICTORIA BY JESSICA NATALE WOOLLARD
PHOTO BY DON DENTON
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EBECCA KENNEL WAS LOOKING TO volunteer in the area of mental health when she came across a request for a creative writing volunteer in Volunteer Victoria’s online database. Leah Luckhurst, who lives with schizophrenia, wanted help with writing a stand-up comedy routine. Though Kennel had never written stand-up, she felt her experience in writing could help Luckhurst with her goals. She was right. Within a few years, Luckhurst was performing with Stand Up for Mental Health, and Kennel was in the audience, cheering her on. “To see her take that material and stand up on the stage and deliver it — I was proud that I had a little part in it,” Kennel says. “She has become very special to me. I didn’t realize how special she would become when I first met her.” Kennel and Luckhurst changed each other’s lives thanks to the opportunity presented by Volunteer Victoria, an organization that aids in the recruitment and management of