Meet Darren Smith
Darren is one of our dedicated volunteers, who has been on a remarkable journey with Noah’s Ark over the past ten years; a decade of time and effort spent making a meaningful impact on the lives of others.
Darren shares with us his experiences, motivations, and the insights he has gained through his time volunteering with Noah’s Ark.
From the beginning
Darren always had a desire to actively contribute to his local community and says it all started with “me and a friend wanted to do some fundraising for a local charity.” A desire that led to a series of quiz nights, which raised over £1,000.
At that time Darren had no idea his fundraising activities would lead to a deeper connection to the Noah’s Ark cause and becoming part of our community. Wanting to do more and make a meaningful difference, Darren soon found himself volunteering in family-facing roles as well as supporting the charities fundraising efforts. An evolution that Darren describes as unexpected:
“One day, a chat in the office led to being asked if I would be interested in being a family-facing volunteer – the next day, I was on the volunteer training programme and couldn’t wait to start!”
Darren initially took on two roles, serving as a Family Activities Volunteer on our activity days and as a Home Support Volunteer, where he has been matched with multiple families over the years to provide them with practical support in their own homes.
Impactful experiences and personal growth
Darren has engaged in many aspects of volunteering at Noah’s Ark, from supporting siblings to working with children with a life-limiting health condition. Darren’s is a friendly face that you can regularly see at our family activities, including ice skating, bowling and even residential weekend activity camps to help create happy memories and fun experiences for siblings’ groups.
Reflecting on his experience, Darren said:
“Volunteering at Noah’s Ark has made me a better person. And a better father and a more knowledgeable person, plus I’ve had so much fun doing it!”
Broadening perspectives and embracing diversity
One of the transformative aspects of Darren’s volunteer work has been the exposure to different cultures, challenging stereotypes, and fostering a deeper understanding of shared human values.
“I was brought up in an area where there was very little diversity, and everyone came from a very similar background. Being matched with families from different cultures as a Home Support Volunteer has taught me so much about different cultures and how our values are generally the same.”
The next step
As Darren celebrates his ten years of volunteering, he reflects on his growth and contemplates the next chapter of his journey. Darren tells us:
“My next step is to train to become a bereavement support volunteer to help support recently bereaved families at Noah’s Ark. Working with families is a real privilege and something that I’m keen to continue to do.”
Dan Smith (no relation!), our Volunteer Manager adds:
“Darren’s story is a testament to the transformative power of volunteering and Noah’s Ark is so grateful for the amazing amount of support he and all our volunteers have given to help children and families we support. His volunteering journey has not only touched the lives of those he has supported but has also profoundly shaped his own character and outlook.”
We’d like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Darren for all his support over the last 10 years – it takes a big community to fundraise for and deliver our services at Noah’s Ark and we couldn’t do this without the help and commitment of all our volunteers, like Darren. Thank you!
Find out more about Volunteering opportunities at Noah’s Ark here.
