West Lothian volunteer recognised for hard work with local kids initiative
A West Lothian volunteer has been recognised for her hard work at a local kids initiative.
Donna Watson from Livingston, received a £100 Gift Card from The Centre, Livingston in recognition of her 10th anniversary as a volunteer with the social enterprise, Kidzeco during Volunteers Week.
The Centre, Livingston Volunteer Award is part of the shopping centre's 'Support in the Community' initiative, established almost 10 years ago, to pay tribute to people like Donna who are doing an outstanding job helping other people in the local community and reward them for all their efforts.
Kidzeco, which has a team of 35, including 20 volunteers, who like Donna give up their time every week to help the social enterprise, was founded by Tracy Murdoch in 2010, with the aim of enhancing the happiness, health, and resilience of parents and children in the local area and empowering them for a better future.
Their focus is to support disadvantaged families in West Lothian by providing services and facilities that build skills, confidence and wellbeing.
Kidzeco, which has a retail outlet at the shopping centre, offers affordable, high-quality pre-loved goods, including baby clothes, toys and essentials like prams and highchairs, promoting a circular economy by tracking waste diversion and CO2 reduction.
The social enterprise also creates local job opportunities, particularly for those distant from the job market.
As a social enterprise profits are reinvested back into the community to run various projects including the Bumpz 2 Babiez café in Whitburn community centre, every Tuesday from 10am to 1pm and the Bumpz 2 Babiez café, 'Kidz n Kin', at the shopping centre every Thursday between 10am to 3pm, both for parents with children under two.
Donna, who marks her 10th volunteering anniversary at Kidzeco this year, was nominated by the Retail Operations Manager, Steph Forsyth, in recognition of her outstanding dedication over the past decade.
Steph said: 'Donna is very deserving of this Volunteer Award in recognition of her enthusiasm, attention to detail, reliability and genuine passion for everything we do at Kidzeco.
'Over the years, Donna has taken on a wide range of tasks, from customer service to keyholding, processing and filtering donations and pricing.
'Her current role is to look after our preloved clothing section, ensuring all items are of the highest quality - clean, refreshed and steamed - before they reach the shop floor.
'In addition to her hands-on work, Donna is also a tremendous support to new volunteers and staff. With her deep knowledge of our processes, she's always ready to answer questions, offer guidance or demonstrate tasks to help others feel confident in their roles.
'Most recently, during our restructure and store refit, Donna went above and beyond - she even increased her hours to help ensure we were ready for our grand reopening.
'Her dedication is truly invaluable and highly commendable - we are incredibly grateful to have her as part of the team and can't thank her enough.'
Donna said: 'I absolutely love volunteering with Kidzeco because I believe in everything they stand for as an organisation and really enjoy giving something back to the community.
'As a parent, shopping there is a lovely experience – it doesn't feel like a typical preloved store, there's real care in how everything is displayed.
'I was so excited and honoured to get this Award in recognition of my efforts – it's nice to know my contributions make a difference."
Tracy said: 'Volunteers are the golden thread woven through everything we do at Kidzeco — they are the heart of our services, and we simply couldn't operate without them.
'Each and every volunteer brings something unique and valuable, and we are truly grateful for their time, passion, and dedication.
'Donna has been an incredible part of our team for the past 10 years, and her commitment has made a real difference. We're genuinely grateful to have her as part of the Kidzeco team and deeply appreciate everything she brings to our work and our community.'
Tess Sundberg, Marketing Manager at The Centre, Livingston said: 'We are delighted to be able to pay tribute to Donna with our special Volunteer Award for all of her outstanding efforts at Kidzeco.
'It was great to hear about her role and the incredible impact she is making in the local community.
'If you know someone who is also going the extra mile and making a big difference helping people in West Lothian, please email The Centre, Livingston at enquiries@thecentrelivingston.com and share their story with us so that we can shine a bright light on the great work they are doing.'
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