August’s Volunteer of the Month is Umair Rahim, a Regulatory Compliance Writer at Thomson Reuters, nominated for his ongoing support over the last few years with ELBA’s Education Team.

Umair has taken part in various education-based activities for a few years now, whilst giving service as a BAG member at Little Ilford School. Umair also emailed his Thomson Reuters contacts to help collate several mentoring stories as part of ELBA’s recent appeal, typifying the extra mile Umair goes to help out. Furthermore, ELBA received $500 from Thomson Reuters in August because of Umair’s excellent commitment.

Why did you volunteer?
I volunteered because I wanted to use my skills and experience to give something back to the local community and to those who require that support. It’s something I enjoy doing and will continue to do so.

Why do you think volunteering is important?
I feel that not everyone is as fortunate as some others in society so it is our responsibility to do good where it is possible. When I was younger, I did not have this type of support available to me, so for that reason I think the initiatives ELBA run are invaluable.

Would you recommend volunteering to a colleague and if so why?
I would recommend volunteering to a colleague and do so on a regular basis, especially volunteering with organisations like ELBA because of the great work they do with schools and younger people in the community. It’s a very rewarding experience and it only costs a small amount of your time which makes it worthwhile.