FVA Supports Optos staff to volunteer at STAR – Siblings Reunited

Optos, a healthcare technology company specialising in helping eye care professionals, reached out to FVA to arrange a day of volunteering for 30 of their staff in the Fife area. They chose to give their time to STAR - Siblings Reunited to make a difference to their outdoor spaces.

STAR is a charity based in North East Fife with the aim of reuniting siblings separated by the care system. They provide opportunities for regular, quality sibling contact in a farmland setting, with open green spaces, a petting zoo, and indoor areas for crafts and activities.

The Optos team spent most of their day outdoors helping to work on parts of the garden and the animal area. They also helped to tidy up some indoor areas including polytunnels and the storytelling hut. Having such a large team involved allowed STAR to get a lot of tasks done that are hard to regularly find time for.

Karen Morrison from STAR said “It was fantastic to welcome 30 volunteers from Optos to STAR. Having a whole coach arrive full of people ready to get stuck in was a first for us! They were an amazing group and achieved so much in just one day. Support like this makes a huge difference to a small charity like ours, and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who gave their time to help us.”

Anne-Marie Cairns, Chief Clinical Officer at Optos said “There are so many deserving charitable organisations right on our doorstep, and we’re humbled to have been there supporting STAR and the incredible work they do.

Supporting local charities is both a privilege and a responsibility for Optos. We know that even a small contribution of time can make a huge difference, and our employees consistently embrace opportunities like this with generosity and enthusiasm.

STAR provides something truly special by helping siblings spend valuable time together when circumstances might otherwise make that difficult. We’re proud to have spent time today playing a small part in supporting their mission and helping create positive experiences for the children and families involved.”

Employer Supported Volunteering

This is a great example of employer supported volunteering (ESV), where employers provide their employees with paid time off to volunteer. For employees, it provides a way to connect with the community, a chance to try something new, and an opportunity to spend time with colleagues in a different setting. For employers, it provides an opportunity to raise staff morale and raise their profile in the local community. It also benefits the third sector organisation, giving them access to new skills and expertise, more time to do tasks that would normally be difficult to fit in, and a chance to get the word out about their organisation to a wider audience. If you would be interested in getting involved with ESV, get in touch with the volunteering team on [email protected].

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