Do you have some time to make a difference in someone’s life, while making a difference in your own? The St. Albert Community Information & Volunteer Centre has many volunteer opportunities to choose from and can help find the right fit for you, even if you are not sure of what that might be. For information on any of the following volunteer opportunities, or to call and discuss other opportunities, call 780-459-6666 or visit the website www.govolunteer.ca
Tag, you’re it! It’s your turn to reach out and connect with a St. Albert youth and be their friend and positive role model. As a mentor, you will spend quality time with your young sidekick in activities of mutual interest on a weekly basis. Volunteer to fill this very worthwhile and rewarding role as an individual, as a couple or as a family.
Will you be between the ages of two and four months in October? Start family volunteering early, as you and your parent visit elementary school classrooms to help children learn about empathy and getting along with each other. You will assist a trained facilitator who will lead the discussion with the class. This program needs a commitment of a one-hour visit each month from October 2011 to June 2012.
Do you enjoy working with children and youth? Then make a difference in a young person’s life and volunteer to be a soccer coach or co-coach where you share the responsibilities. There are lots of age groups to choose from — coach four-year-olds where your main role is to coax and encourage the beginners in the game, or other age groups right through to the older teens. The indoor season starts in mid-October. Coach courses and training are offered and available, but not mandatory.
Help this organization help homeless people and those at risk of becoming homeless at this one-day, one-location event on Sunday, Oct. 16. You will help others to provide a range of services to the individuals by volunteering in one of several roles such as greeters, registration or guides. Be a part of this transformational day and make a difference in your own life while making a difference in someone else’s.
Would you like to become involved in and make a difference to the cancer community? Volunteer at the Cross Cancer Institute, a lead centre for province-wide prevention, research and treatment programs. There are more than 25 diverse volunteer programs to choose from and many four-hour shifts are available Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Are you comfortable around horses and interested in helping people with disabilities to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of recreational horseback riding? In an hour-long class, a horse handler will lead a horse while the rider participates in the class. The side walker will walk alongside the horse and lend physical and/or emotional support to the rider during the lesson. Volunteers can also help in the barn, before and after class, grooming and tacking horses. Positions are available at Edmonton and the new St. Albert location; the fall session runs from the beginning of September to the end of November. Experience with horses or people with disabilities is not required; minimum age is 14.
