Drew’ story – Crawley.
Battles with alcohol dependency had led to periods of isolation and emotional distress.
Drew is now a volunteer with the British Heart Foundation. He enjoys spending time in their friendly environment, working as a valued and trusted member of their team.
Prior to volunteering, Drew completed online training with his facilitator (who also undertook the training with him) to ensure Drew understood the role he was fulfilling and what would be expected of him.
Drew’s main responsibilities are to sort and label the CDs, make sure they are all in the correct cases, and general organisation within the store. Drew is helping to maintain their welcoming environment every day he’s there.
Volunteering is one of Drew’s long-term goals on his journey to re-entering paid work. It’s a way to reconnect with his local community.
Volunteering has given Drew a sense of purpose and motivation to reduce his alcohol consumption and develop a vigilance and mindfulness around his lifestyle choices.
He now puts his best foot forward each day that he spends at the British Heart Foundation knowing that this responsibility gives him something to be excited about!
Drew says: “I enjoy my work! I look forward to going to work every week and I like the people there. They are friendly. It makes me feel good doing something for the community. I love being back at work – I used to work at a garden centre and missed not working when I left, so going to the British Heart Foundation has given me something to look forward to every week. I feel proud to be working there and I like that my facilitator comes with me as he helps me feel supported.”
Drew’s commitment to volunteering has not only benefited the local community, as they have a lovely shop to visit with a very friendly individual to help them, but Drew’s immediate family also feel much happier knowing he has a purpose and a goal that he is dedicated to.
He has something positive to focus on and spends less time alone indoors.
Drew’s self-confidence has also been boosted above and beyond what he had imagined.
He continues to inspire others within the Circles Network community.
He’s proof that with some effort, a little hope and a lot of self-belief, goals can be achieved!
