Be a friend when you can
"When people need help - with bills, with education expenses, with funeral expenses or they simply need 'time out', then they should be able to call on the SVP like you would call on a friend. Like any good friend, you don't make judgements about how they got into the problem, you stay in the background and try and help them solve it."
"Where people are in difficult financial circumstances, we work with them and the MABS (Money Advise and Budgeting Service) to try and solve the problem for the longer term. That may mean making quite a large once-off contribution, rather than small amounts every week."
"The most important thing is that you listen and respond to people. Very often, it's the small things that make a big difference - things that many people take for granted, like have a hairdo for a family occasion or have a night out with friends."
"It's not always about money. Facing difficult times alone can be daunting."
Joyce Dempsey, SVP Volunteer