As a member of the Boroondara Volunteer Resource Centre, I was invited and attended the International Volunteer Day Celebration on Thursday 4 December. The event attracted over 200 local community volunteers. There were two outstanding presentations. The first was a musical rendition from the Melbourne Hindustani Classical Musin Society which was a great demonstration of the talented Vinod Prasanna playing the traditional bamboo flute accompanied by Pranav Ramji on the table.
The second presentation was an inspirational talk by Kate Gniel who is the founder of ‘The Glitter Effect’ podcast and a lifelong believer in the power of community, connection, and giving back. Her platform celebrates the everyday legends—the ones who show up, step up, and spread their glitter with purpose. The Glitter Effect is all about tiny moments of kindness that create ripples far beyond what we can see.
Her enthusiasm and personal story were engaging and encouraging to the audience of local volunteers. Her final remark is worthy of sharing and one I hope members take on board. “Every glitter giver needs to keep on spreading glitter. It’s important to take care of yourself so you can continue to show up and be the role model for future glitter givers”.
Kate was the recipient of the named Manningham Volunteer of the Year in 2024
Fabienne Nichola