Crisis responders assist victims of crime, tragedy
The following are volunteer opportunities in Kitchener-Waterloo. For more information, call the Volunteer Action Centre in Kitchener at 519-742-8610 or check the website at volunteerkw.ca.
Support Victim Services of Waterloo Region and become a volunteer crisis responder. Crisis responders assist victims of crime and tragic circumstances by providing crisis intervention, emotional support, information and community referrals. You must be 19 years old, willing to commit two years to this position and able to take four to six eight-hour in length shifts per month, in addition to having a driver’s licence and a vehicle. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, fill in the volunteer application form at http://vswr.ca/volunteer/ and submit it to Ashley Hendricks at ashley.hendricks@wrps.on.ca.
Are you interested in helping youth in Waterloo Region to explore their career options? Share your career story and inspire tomorrow’s workforce. The Business & Education Partnership of Waterloo Region is looking for volunteers from all areas of expertise and all sectors to join our speakers bureau. Volunteer speakers talk about their career path to help youth understand their career options. The time commitment can be as much or as little as your schedule allows. For more information about the BEP and becoming a volunteer speaker, visit our website at www.busedpartnership.org or email us at info@bus-edpartnership.org.
Looking for a volunteer opportunity where you can collaborate with a dynamic team? Are you organized and energetic, with strong communication skills? Do you want to make an impact in the lives of people living with cancer and help fund life-saving cancer research? The Canadian Cancer Society is looking for people like you to join the Relay For Life Waterloo Region event committee. Committee positions are available in areas including team recruitment, luminary sales, and survivor recognition. Relay For Life Waterloo Region will take place on June 1, and the committee meets once a month. For more information please contact Ashley at aculp@ontario.cancer.ca. To find a volunteer opportunity that suits you, search United Way’s online volunteer opportunities database at uwcambridge.on.ca and click on the Volunteer Centre tab, or call 519-621-1030.
Focus on Volunteering: December 2017 — Volunteers powering affordable housing
For many of us, our home is an anchor. It’s a sanctuary where we can relax and create memories. But for others, that shelter is unstable and a reminder of the difficult path they face every day. There are people working right here to shore up those situations, and help change the power of poverty.
When Bryan Shows retired he was looking for a way to get involved in the community and give back. When he looked up local volunteering opportunities, he couldn’t believe the variety of positions available and the number of local agencies that had a real need for volunteers in order to make their work possible. Bryan chose Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region and in just under one year, has logged over 250 volunteer hours. In this time, he has become one of the key volunteers at the Cambridge ReStore, a retail store that accepts donations of used, discontinued items and salvageable building materials donated by manufacturers, contractors and individuals. Whether he is sweeping, building furniture, arranging displays or interacting with customers, Bryan is making a positive impact in the organization and the community as a whole.
Habitat for Humanity brings communities together to help families build strength, stability and independence through affordable home ownership. This mandate is even more important as affordable housing becomes increasingly difficult to find in Waterloo Region. It’s not only those living in poverty who can’t afford to own their own home, but also individuals and couples who work full-time, but just don’t have enough money left over at the month to save for a down payment.
Through the dedication of volunteers like Bryan the organization is able to make this mission a reality. Bryan says the acknowledgement of volunteers gives him a particularly warm feeling.
He notes that both staff and management at the Cambridge ReStore thank him after every shift.
Bryan is quick to point out that the organization is not the only one that benefits from the arrangement.
“Volunteering offers me the opportunity to put both my time and experience to use, assist where I can in helping newer volunteers get up to speed, gaining new knowledge myself, and finally appreciating that what I do and learn here is making a difference.”