Volunteer fair has something for everyone

Whether you are young or old, woman or man, or a member of any social group, there is a volunteer opportunity out there just waiting for you. This weekend, there is one place to be if you want to get in on the action.

The fifth annual volunteer fair takes place on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Servus Credit Union Place. The event, hosted by the Community Information and Volunteer Centre, gives more than 40 local community groups the chance to connect with prospective volunteers and show them that there is a world out there that needs help.

Pat Phelan, the director of volunteer centre services at the centre, calls it an “everything under one roof” event that can’t be missed.

“It’s just telling the community to come and take a look at what you might be interested in because you probably will be very surprised at what’s available,” she says. “There’s some neat stuff out there.”

The fair will feature numerous recreation, leisure, sport, service, humanitarianism, faith and cultural organizations from across St. Albert and even some from Edmonton. There are familiar faces like the Arden Theatre, Sidekicks Mentoring and the St. Albert Food Bank.

There are also a lot of new kids on the block like KidSport. The newly established local chapter of the Canada-wide organization helps children to participate in sports programs by offering up to $500 to offset costs. It is currently ramping up its funding so that it can start offering support to the public in 2013.

If you can’t make it to the fair but you’d still like more information on helping this organization, call chair Doug Hardy at 780-271-3227 or send an email to [email protected].

The Sturgeon Hospital Auxiliary Volunteer Association also recently celebrated the grand re-opening of its gift shop at the hospital after that facility’s years-long reconstruction. Now that they are back in business, they are hoping to bolster their volunteer corps so that they can have two people for every shift. If you have the small amount of free time to help this worthy cause, please call Betty Lynn Zukewich, the hospital’s co-ordinator of volunteer services, at 780-418-7375.

The community volunteer centre, which represents 201 groups, will be set up to share information about those groups that don’t have their own booth at the show.

Phelan emphasized that people have their pick of what the volunteering world has to offer and that the city is full of people with different talents and interests. Sometimes people don’t know where to go or where they are needed, she said, which is why this event plays such an important role in filling volunteer needs and keeping people feeling fulfilled.

“This is a taste of what kinds of things are out there. It’s a matter of where your passion is. Whatever happens to be where their interests lie and they can get involved and contribute, that’s the beauty of the volunteer fair,” she said.

She added that the upcoming Alberta Indigenous Games would require a huge volunteer commitment. Taking place across the city next August, the sporting event will see more than 4,000 athletes compete in 10 sports.

In the past few years, St. Albert’s volunteers have stepped up to help out with other major sporting events including this year’s Special Olympics Canada Winter Games, the 2011 Alberta 55 Plus Winter Games and the Continental Cup of Curling.

The community volunteer centre is also highly regarded among volunteer agencies around the province for its efforts and for co-ordinating and mobilizing so much effort. Phelan says it’s all because the people of the city make it easy.

“We are the hub of volunteerism. There’s no question,” she said. “We have people in this community who just step up, for whatever the cause.”

For more information, call Phelan at 780-459-6666, or visit www.stalbertcivc.com or www.stalbert.ca/volunteer-fair. The event is free to attend.