About us News HBNC Celebrates its Volunteers with a Heartfelt Christmas Party HBNC Celebrates its Volunteers with a Heartfelt Christmas Party Last Friday, The Hervey Bay Neighbourhood Centre (HBNC) threw a cracker of a celebration to honour the wonderful volunteers who make everything we do possible. It was a lunch filled with laughter, gratitude, and of course, some good ol’ Aussie Christmas cheer! As the Christmas decorations sparkled and the festive tunes filled the air, we reflected on just how much our volunteers have done for the community throughout 2024. Our Volunteers contributed to 16488 hours of community service! That’s right, a combined total of nearly 17,000 hours spent helping, supporting, and making a real difference in the lives of so many people here in Hervey Bay. Now that’s something to celebrate! At HBNC, we know that without our volunteers, we wouldn’t be the heart of the community that we are. These generous souls give their time, energy, and hearts to help us run our programs, support our initiatives, and make sure everyone feels a little more connected. Simply put, we wouldn’t be here without them—and that’s no exaggeration. To show our appreciation, we wanted to spoil our volunteers just a little bit, and thanks to the generosity of some truly incredible local businesses, we were able to give away some amazing prizes and donations. A massive shoutout to the following businesses, whose support made our celebration extra special: Bay Central Tavern Big 4 Holiday Parks 1770 Waters LARC Cruise Tour x 2 Adults Scotty’s Mad About Meats Hampers With a Bite Miss Cocoa’s Hervey Bay RSL Odyssey Bistro The Boat Club Tin Can Bay Ferry Sealink World Treasure Designs Mon Repos Turtle Centre The Ginger Factory Hervey Bay Garden Centre Bunnings – Hervey Bay Each of these businesses generously donated goods, vouchers, and experiences that helped make our volunteers feel truly valued. These donations were a little taste of the holiday magic our volunteers so rightfully deserve. The Christmas party was also a chance for us to relax, share a laugh, and reflect on the past year. There were plenty of smiles, and even a few Christmas crackers that got everyone into the holiday spirit. As we look back on the year, we can’t help but feel incredibly proud of everything we’ve achieved with the help of our volunteers. So, to all our volunteers, thank you. You are the backbone of HBNC, and we are beyond grateful for your time, energy, and dedication. We hope this Christmas party was just a small token of our appreciation for everything you do. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all our amazing volunteers – we can’t wait to see what we’ll achieve together in 2025!