Baptcare’s Corporate Volunteering event with Bega Group
On 23 December 2022, five employees from the Bega Group visited Heritage Manor in Morwell for a Corporate Volunteering event with Baptcare, some travelling as far as 420 kms to attend the event!
Some background to Bega and their event with Baptcare
The Bega employees were a part of Bega’s award-winning Talent Leadership program called Aspire for employees within the business to develop their leadership and work on group projects to strengthen skills.
Each group works on a project to improve the lives of a Bega community to align with the Bega goal of making a positive contribution to the greater good of society. The Great8 team chose to work with the Morwell community as one of Bega’s regional sites.
What is the Bega Group?
The Bega Group is an Australian owned group of companies specialising in manufacturing and delivering dairy, juice, yoghurt and spreads. Their range includes well-known brands including Vegemite, Bega Cheese, Dairy Farmers, Dare Iced Coffee, Farmers Union, Big M, Yoplait and Zooper Dooper. The Bega Morwell factory is Australia’s largest yoghurt manufacturer.
How did this volunteering event come about?
The mother of one of Bega’s Morwell employees is a resident of Baptcare Heritage Manor Community.
Bega commented that they found Baptcare’s website made it easy to approach us to discuss volunteer opportunities. “The enthusiasm from the Volunteer program team members (Lana Davis and Bryan Mooney) matched the Bega team and we were keen to jump on board,” said Kate Anderson, Logistics Optimisation Lead from Bega.
What happened on the day?
The Bega volunteers arrived around lunchtime and were given a briefing by Baptcare Volunteer Program Specialist Bryan Mooney and a tour of Heritage Manor. Following this, they were involved in a coffee afternoon with 18 residents, including a Christmas reindeer decorating activity.
Bega donations/cards
Bega donated one year’s worth of Zooper Dooper icy poles to our site, and also donated a generous hamper of Yoplait yoghurt, Vegemite and Peanut Butter. Bega also gave personalised cards to all 160 staff and 96 residents of Heritage Manor.
Testimonials from Bega, Heritage Manor and Baptcare
Bega attendees:
“My grandma doesn’t use her hearing aid and I find it really difficult to communicate with her, so I was worried it would be just as hard to interact with the residents. But I had so many wonderful conversations with the residents, that I enjoyed myself immensely.” Kate Anderson
“I’ve not spent much time with the older generation, and I was a little nervous. The activity we did together allowed me to interact with the residents without any pressure of knowing what to do or say.” Shalini Singh
“Some residents don’t get many visitors, so they were happy and grateful for a chat and interaction with me. I was amazed that my positivity came back tenfold to me - I felt so happy and grateful for interacting with them!” Tim Tielen
General impression from Bega
“The Bega team were thrilled at the residents’ reactions to the personalised Christmas cards and the hugs, laughs and even one marriage proposal!”, said Kate Anderson, Logistics Optimisation Lead.
“The Bega team left on a high from such a fun and positive day and can’t thank the team at Baptcare enough for the opportunity to volunteer with them. Not only did it allow us to give back to the local community and enrich the life of others, but it was surprisingly rewarding to us as individuals and as a team,” she said.
Comments from Heritage Manor
“The Bega visit was such a great day! The Bega Team came with lots of energy and excitement on their part and it was definitely matched by our residents. We are all very excited to see how our future corporate relationship with Bega progresses. What an amazing organisation to be able to work with.” (Kate Eaves, Lifestyle Co-ordinator).
“The visit from the Bega Team was absolutely fabulous! We had an amazing time with them all making our Christmas biscuits and getting to know them personally and find out what they do for the Bega business. We were all surprised by how many different products they make. We especially loved our Christmas cards that gave us all a good laugh! It was lovely to have them come visit us, especially during Christmas time when some of us can feel a bit lonely. They definitely lifted our spirits!” (Resident Lucy).
Future of Bega volunteer relationship (and other corporate volunteer programs)
Baptcare is already planning to invite Bega back for the next event and we hope to include a member of the Executive Leadership Team and a member of the Communications team, if possible.
“Bega is our first Corporate Volunteering relationship but we aim to encourage at least two more major, non-competing partnerships with Baptcare. This will not necessarily be in Aged Care – it could be fundraising or another arm of our business,” said Lana Davis.
