You've worked hard to keep the food bank running smoothly. You've put in a lot of hours so that the Children's Festival is less than chaotic even with all of those kids out there having the time of their lives.
You've worked hard to keep the food bank running smoothly. You've put in a lot of hours so that the Children's Festival is less than chaotic even with all of those kids out there having the time of their lives. You've dedicated countless hours to work behind the scenes so that the Arden Theatre, or the Girl Guides, or any number of hundreds of other community organizations and charities can be successful and make the world a better place.
Now, you volunteer, it's your turn to take a bow and grab a coffee.
April 10 to 16 is National Volunteer Week, a time for the entire country to stop and recognize the immeasurable and invaluable contributions that countless thousands of volunteers have made over the past year.
That's why the Community Information and Volunteer Centre gives out free coffee (or tea) coupons to St. Albert's volunteers during the second week of April. It's the 35th year that the CIVC has celebrated the annual occasion.
“It's just a fun, nice way of recognizing them and thanking them for everything that they do,” explained the agency's volunteer co-ordinator Glennis Kennedy, suggesting that it gives them a chance to take a little bit of a break for themselves and to reflect on all of the good that they do that goes by unheralded for the most part.
These coffee coupons are actually given to the organizations first so that they can give them to their volunteers. This is how the CIVC maximizes its gratitude.
“It's a way of the organizations saying thank you for everything that you do for us. It's a small gesture for sure but it's a gesture that they can do to say thank you to their volunteers.”
To give a basic scope of how many people are going to get free coffee because of their volunteerism, Kennedy noted that there were approximately 75 organizations who received a sum total of 5,500 coupons to hand out.
Brenda Breen is one of those on the receiving end of the token of thanks. She's been a volunteer at the CIVC itself for a few years now. That is, of course, when she isn't busy at the Arden Theatre or during May when she's all over the Children's Festival. She helped out with the Fringe Festival and the Special Olympics too.
She's a volunteering machine and she said it's all because she said that she just wants to do something useful with her life.
“I retired and I got more active in volunteering,” she began. “When you go from a really hectic and busy job to retirement, all of a sudden there's nothing. You think, ‘Wow, I need to do something to feel useful!'”
It was only after she had already been one of the Friends of the Arden Theatre that she noticed an ad in the Gazette for the CIVC itself. Now, people can find her on Mondays at the volunteer centre as the smiling face behind the desk. If the organization itself had a face, it would smile right back at her.
“My experience is that organizations truly appreciate the work that you do for them.”
Across the country, there are more than 12.5 million volunteers who give selflessly of their time to causes that they care about. If you know a volunteer or volunteer yourself, take a minute to stop and appreciate the value of that service to the world in general. Without volunteers, Canada and all of its communities just wouldn't be the same.
The CIVC is also hosting its annual Volunteer Appreciation luncheon at the Alliance Church next Tuesday. On May 7, it will then host the annual Volunteer Citizen of the Year Awards ceremony at the same venue. Call 780-459-6666 or visit www.stalbertcivc.com for more information.
