Loving the ‘fulfilling gift’ of volunteering

I truly believe that volunteering is one of the most life-affirming, fulfilling gifts you can give yourself,” says Dinny Charkham, who has been volunteering for Jami, part of Jewish Care, for the past 25 years.

Dinny, who recently won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Jewish Volunteering Network’s awards ceremony, is a regular volunteer at Jami’s hub in Finchley. The hub provides a safe space and social connection for people with long-term mental illness and distress.

“When I walked into the hub, it was love at first sight,” says Dinny. “I love being there, surrounded by people who, despite whatever may be going on in their lives, find the courage to get out of bed and come to the hub to talk, play, laugh or cry.”

She is one of 285 volunteers who give their time and skills to support Jami, the mental health service for the Jewish community. And the charity couldn’t do what it does without them. These volunteers are from different backgrounds and a wide age range, and carry out a variety of roles, but they all seem to have one thing in common – they love giving their time and skills to support the charity, and get a lot back in return.

“Coming here expands my horizons, brings another dimension to my life, allows me to mingle with people I might not meet ordinarily and was invaluable when I was going through a tough patch in my own life,” says Dinny, who can be seen buzzing around the hub every Thursday, talking, doing the register and serving food.

“You name it, she does it,” says Emma Reynolds, Jami’s senior mental health volunteering and social engagement manager. “Dinny is the heart of Finchley hub. Everyone knows her and even mentioning her name elicits smiles. She makes everyone feel special and heard. The overall joy she brings is utterly infectious, turning what could be a bad day into a great one. She truly loves the clients who she serves.”

And then there’s Dave Richman, who has been volunteering for Jami for about 14 years, and was presented with the Unsung Hero Award at Jewish Care’s own volunteering awards in October 2024. Like Dinny, Dave supports members at Jami’s Finchley hub. He’s also a hospital visiting volunteer, making regular visits to a secure psychiatric unit, and a befriender for Jami’s Compeer befriending service.

Dave says: “I wanted to give something back to Jami for all the support they’ve given my family. However, I get so much from volunteering too. At Jami’s Finchley hub and through befriending, you meet people who you build relationships with, and who become your friends.”

Dave supports a Finchley hub member.[Missing Credit]

It’s clear Dave has formed meaningful relationships with many of Jami’s service users. “I find hospital visiting the most rewarding,” he says. “When you get positive feedback from patients after months and months of no communication, it encourages you to carry on more. Seeing a person recover is very heartwarming.”

One man, who has spent time in and out of hospital because of mental illness and doesn’t receive visits from family or friends, says: “Without Dave’s visits and interactions, I doubt I would still be here. Dave was, and is, my lifeline.”

For Caryn Cobersy, one volunteering role with Jami soon led to others. She says: “I was a Jami volunteer years ago and had always enjoyed it. When I found myself without a job and lots of free time last year, it seemed like a good time to restart.”

Caryn, who is based at Head Room, Jami’s social enterprise café in Golders Green, supported by The Maurice Wohl Foundation Trust, began volunteering at the café’s Sunday socials and Monday art group, which form part of Head Room’s free community programme, open to everyone in the community. Then, more recently, she also became a community befriender at the café, when the service was launched in summer 2024.

“As a befriender, I’m here for anyone visiting Head Room to have a one-to-one chat, provide support and hopefully make someone smile and feel a bit better, especially if they’re feeling lonely or isolated,” she says. “I absolutely love this role and am happy to play board games or just listen. I just want to be able to help people as much as I can.” Dinny, Dave and Caryn, together with many more Jami volunteers, are doing just that – and loving every minute of it.

To find out more about volunteering at Jami, email sophie.chappell@jamiuk.org. For current volunteering opportunities, see jamiuk.org

Registered charity 802559