Mannix students serving the community

Early on a Saturday morning and dressed in dashing blue hairnets and disposable gloves, a team of Mannix residents volunteered at Federation Square to help pack 100,000 emergency relief meals to be sent to communities affected by the war in Ukraine and the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria earlier this year.  

Current residents Tom Davis, Harry Drury, Steph Upfold, Ava Dimech and Zoe White joined staff member, Tamra Keating, for the volunteering effort. Coordinated by FORaMEAL project and Rotary, part of the job was to carefully measure out tiny orange lentils, ready to be mixed with rice, oats and sachets of essential nutrients. These bags are enough to feed five people! 

Community service is an important expression of our strong Mannix values. Nurturing a culture of empathy, understanding and giving at Mannix provides opportunities for our students to work together to develop and promote relationships and initiatives that will assist our local and international communities.

Led by Volunteer Representatives Tom Davis, 1st year Arts/law and Zoe de Paolo, 3rd year Business/Media, our volunteering initiatives aim to engage Mannixians in community service volunteering regularly, with each resident volunteering at least once during the academic year.  

Mannix is eager to further strengthen our strong culture of volunteerism. Volunteering is all about making a difference in your community; it also benefits students personally as it offers the chance to:

• act on values, passions and interests
• make new friendships and create professional networks
• gain work experience and learn new skills
• enjoy new social and cultural experiences
• develop personally and build confidence
• enjoy better physical and mental health
• feel warm and fuzzy about helping your community
• have fun!

Principal, Andrew Swan said, “Volunteering is a core part of our college culture with students and alumni actively contributing to our community and others. And for good reason! Volunteers are happier, healthier and sleep better than those who don’t volunteer. Just a few hours of volunteer work can make a difference to your happiness and mood! For these and other reasons, volunteering is core part of what we do.”

We look forward to sharing future news of the impact that our volunteering efforts are having both on the lives of our students and those they serve in communities around us and beyond.