150 ‘glorious years’ of volunteering

There’s nothing puzzling about the impact that volunteers have on our community.

Their impact is as wide and diverse as Canada itself.

Which is the message that Volunteer Canada is spreading for its National Volunteer Week campaign this year. The crossword puzzle is used by Volunteer Canada, in partnership with Investors Group, to thank Canadian volunteers “for 150 glorious years” – tying it into the country’s sesquicentennial celebrations.

With this Windsor-Essex Association for Volunteer Administration (WEAVA) annual feature, we borrowed the crossword puzzle concept and incorporated it into a map of Essex County on the cover.

Volunteer Canada, which is marking the 14th consecutive year for its national campaign April 23-29, points out that volunteering comes in many forms and is as diverse as Canada itself.

Someone who shovels his or her neighbour’s laneway or who brings a lost pet to the animal shelter is helping to build a stronger community.

The organization notes that sometimes we miss recognizing these people as volunteers, because they do not occupy a formal role within an organization or group.

To celebrate all volunteers and to get people thinking more deeply about volunteering during the week, Volunteer Canada is releasing a series of crossword puzzles that reveal the impacts, benefits and diverse ways Canadians are involved in communities. Some answers may be obvious, while others may cause you to stop and say: “Volunteering, Eh?”

However you recognize volunteering in 2017, the organization says, one thing remains timeless: Volunteer efforts create positive impact in communities across Canada.