Looking for a few good men or women

Greenwood Military Family Resource Centre seeking volunteers

The Greenwood Military Family Resource Centre (GMFRC) is looking for new volunteers to join their team.

The GMFRC is a non-profit organization that specializes in helping maintain the wellness and readiness of military members of 14 Wing Greenwood. They do this by meeting all the family needs that the military families might have, explained volunteer co-ordinator Vanessa Macneil.

The volunteers at the centre make a huge difference for the military families who they help, she said, and can assist them with anything they might be having a hard time with. They also make sure military members are ready to serve.

As well as helping the families with needs, Macneil says the volunteers also help the military families celebrate special events. Events and holidays can be stressful for the military families, so getting the help the volunteers offer relieves some of the stress and really makes a difference in the families’ lives.

Because the centre is a nonprofit organization, the people involved in helping these military families are mostly volunteers, Macneil said. Most of the volunteers are part of a military family and these families usually have to move in and out, so there is always a need for new volunteers.

Volunteers have many responsibilities, such as organizing and assisting special events, facilitating programs such as Parent and Tot and Mad Science Club, packing parcels for the troops, assisting in administrative tasks, hosting weekly gatherings, offering tutoring for students and supporting the military families when they are having a hard time or miss their loved ones, said Macneil.

“What do we look for in our volunteers? We ask them to be committed because there is a military spouse waiting for their phone call every month. We ask them to be passionate, because they inspire our youth. We ask them to be flexible, because one day they may be helping with office administration and the next be planning a fundraiser or serving up a barbecue lunch,” she said. “What we ask for the most is that they’re as passionate about serving our military community as we are because the gift of their time makes a tremendous impact.”

Volunteering at the Greenwood Military Family Resource Centre is a great opportunity to make a difference to people who need it, participate in volunteering in the community and create long lasting friendships with the other volunteers, she added.