Refugees need help settling in our community
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 www.volunteerkw.ca.
Reception House and St. Jerome’s University invite you to volunteer or participate in our Host2Home MINKA conference, Oct. 27 and 28. Join a diverse group of stakeholders to discuss refugee resettlement in Waterloo Region. Volunteer with setup, tear down, and event planning. Participate in workshops and discussions. Learn more about the newcomer experience from local scholars, and former refugees living in our community. For more information about volunteering or to register contact Bess Mitchell at minka@sju.ca or 519-884-8111 ext. 28282.
Your unique talents are needed for a fun, ever-changing environment. Join the Mennonite Central Committee Thrift community as a volunteer. Our thrift shops are full of people from all walks of life, working together in our workroom and on our retail floor. Multiple positions are available in an MCC shop near you — Elmira, New Hamburg and Kitchener. No experience is necessary, training will be provided. Give new life to used goods while supporting relief, development and peace here at home and around the world. Visit the Volunteer Action Centre for details on all positions available at your local MCC Thrift Shop.
Love horses? Love children? Pride Stables offers a unique opportunity: Pride Stables is in urgent need for volunteers to lead horses or sidewalk for children with special needs. No horse experienced required. Volunteers must be 15 years of age or older for regular program. Classes are on now; please check the website for training dates at www.pridestables.com or call 519653-4686. To find a volunteer opportunity that suits you, search United Way’s online volunteer opportunities database at www.uwcambridge.on.ca and click on the Volunteer Centre tab, or call 519-621-1030.
Focus on Volunteering: October 2017 — Group volunteering: Changing the Power of Poverty.
One in 10 people in our region live in poverty. United Way is working to take away that power.
Donating your time can be a tremendous learning opportunity, and in many cases a welcome bonus for agencies working to effect change.
Whether it’s a circle of friends, a youth group, a class, a faith group, a family or a company’s employees, there are many ways to get a group involved in volunteering. A group can work together to finish a specific project, such as painting a building or become involved in an ongoing commitment, such as serving breakfast at a local shelter. According to Stats Canada, approximately 33 per cent of volunteers who are employed stated that their employer had a policy that support volunteering. Farrow, a customs broker in Ayr, believes that giving back during the workday not only benefits the community, it is an opportunity for their employees to work together as a team.
Farrow’s commitment to giving back to the community takes shape in different ways and goes beyond donations. United Way Waterloo Region Communities has a history of partnering with Farrow to engage their employees in corporate volunteerism. Through the Day of Caring events that match corporate volunteers with projects across the community, Farrow employees have contributed a total of 111 volunteer hours between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017, alone. Their contributions have varied and include painting program spaces at local agencies, helping with the maintenance of community gardens and putting together food hampers for families in need.
Recently, Farrow has been nominated for the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce Community Award for Best Corporate/Notfor-Profit Partnership.