“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has” – Margaret Mead
Summer is nearly upon us, and as the sun comes out, we shed our layers and begin venturing outdoors.
What better way to enjoy the sun than to get out of the office and volunteer as a team in the community?
Volunteer Calgary’s Paint the Town Program is a meaningful project that is partnered with the City of Calgary’s CityLinks program. The partnership provides support for seniors living independently by contributing much needed home maintenance.
Paint the Town can accommodate groups of any size, but if there are more than 20 people the group will have to be split onto two sites. What better way to team-build than a little healthy competition?
The employee groups engaged with Paint the Town can opt for either a half or full day and will have a hand in helping a senior remain independent.
This employee volunteering opportunity has been running for well for over 15 years which makes it smooth and easy to complete, there are no planning headaches with this project.
Paint the town begins May 28th and runs until the end of September.
If you are interested in something more customized and year round, build your team by volunteering as a group. Volunteer Calgary can customize an employee volunteering opportunity for any date, group size or organization’s interests and needs.
It can be a half day or run over multiple days, and is nicely suited for an organization that wants their employee volunteering time to align with their business strategy.
The Leaders of Tomorrow Award recognizes youth who make a difference in Calgary through their volunteer activities. Three individuals are recognized each year in the elementary, junior high and senior high categories for their energy, commitment and character as volunteers. This award is sponsored by Encana Corporation to honour young people and their commitment to community.
Dillion Chan moved to Canada from Hong Kong when he was in grade 7, an experience he will be the first to tell you that he is grateful for.
As with many people who immigrated to Canada, Dillon found that volunteering helped him get out of the house and into the community, effectively submersing himself in the new culture.
“Volunteering helped me a lot with building my confidence, because volunteering actually made me be brave enough to get into the community, not just in a classroom, and helping a particular teacher, but interacting with the community,” Dillon says.
Dillon dipped his toes in the volunteering pond by volunteering for the City of Calgary day camps, he then decided to step out of his “safe zone” and try new things by volunteering for the Wing Kei nursing home and becoming more involved in student life at his junior high school, Georges P. Vanier.
It was during his first volunteer engagements that he discovered that he had a passion for helping others.
“A big motivator is the smiles and positive energy that I receive from volunteering. When I go help in the nursing home, it’s amazing to be able to give the seniors a joie de vivre,” says Dillon. “It is as if I am part of the family and sometimes I am the only family they have. It’s so rewarding to know that I made a difference in people’s lives.”
He doesn’t just sit on his laurels at the Wing Kei nursing home. Dillon goes out of his way to help improve the quality of life for residents – which includes playing scrabble.
“At the nursing home, many families don’t visit very often. All of the seniors are very happy and thankful that I volunteer there twice a week. I make cake for the residents and play bingo with them. I even have a weekly scrabble tournament with one of the female residents; she is way better than me though! I always lose, and it’s not on purpose,” Dillon laughs.
At his school, Dillon’s volunteer spirit and leadership qualities really shine. “I was really excited at the start of the school year because I was determined to make this the best year ever and make school better for everyone.”
He does this by offering his services in many different ways around his school. He is a peer tutor, library assistant, creates the video student announcements, classroom assistant and a student event coordinator.
Dillon also competed in the Canstruction Jr. competition, where he created a sculpture from the donated food for the Mayor’s Foodbank; he even won the structural integrity and ingenuity award.
In general, Dillon is very inspired by Mark and Craig Kielburger, and is a big supporter of Free the Children. He coordinated programs in the school such as the We Create Change penny drive, We Scare Hunger food bank drive and We are Love fundraising drive.
“I know there are many people less fortunate in other countries in the world. That’s why I am a huge supporter of Free the Children. I have raised money for safe drinking water, educational supplies in classrooms and health care,” says Dillon, though he is quick to point out that he also tries to help in “his own back yard, by helping with food drives and collecting clothing for the less fortunate.
As for being a Leader of Tomorrow, Dillon is well on his way.
“I think it’s so important to demonstrate strong citizenship and character at school and model for the grade 7s and 8s what school leadership is all about. I work hard to help students have fun, have a voice and stay motivated. I want everyone to get passionate about something. It makes life so meaningful and rewarding if you know you made a difference.”
The Leaders of Tomorrow Award recognizes youth who make a difference in Calgary through their volunteer activities. Three individuals are recognized each year in the elementary, junior high and senior high categories for their energy, commitment and character as volunteers. This award is sponsored by Encana Corporation to honour young people and their commitment to community.
How does one describe Cassidy Robertson? 12th grader, volunteer, environmentalist, budding social entrepreneur, all of these words fit, but now we can add Leaders of Tomorrow award winner to that list.
Robertson is the 2013 winner of Volunteer Calgary’s Leadership Awards, Leaders of Tomorrow award; an award that her spirit of volunteerism and leadership make her truly deserving of.
Robertson’s passion for serving her community is only surpassed by her desire to help her fellow students to find what they are passionate about.
“My definition of leadership is empowering others to do something they care about, so every day I try and be the face of my own definition,” says Robertson. “I hope that I still am empowering others to do what they’re most passionate about.”
Robertson found her passion for volunteering at the age of 10 when her parents encouraged her to volunteer with the family.
“It really started when my parents told me that we needed to volunteer, I didn’t really know what it [volunteering] was, mom told me to volunteer so I did,” Robertson remembers, thinking back 7 years. After the nudge to get involved by her parents, Robertson caught the volunteering bug and is now a self-confessed volunteer junkie.
“Volunteering is really important to me because it’s a way for me to learn new things, but also it’s a way where I can help somebody else out. I’m a student so I can’t really help people out financially, but I can give my time and I realize that that’s just as valuable,” says Robertson.
Robertson’s enthusiasm for getting involved is infectious. Her drive to get students involved at her school, Lord Beaverbrook High School, saw her create her own organization – Club 120.
Club 120 is a student-led initiative to make 120 improvements to their surroundings, with the students choosing initiatives that are the most important to them. Club 120’s first order of business was starting “Fresh Face Fridays.” Fresh Face Fridays was created so that the girls at Beaverbrook could be free to go without putting on makeup, as Robertson described it, so that they could show that they are just as beautiful without makeup and to “quit objectifying themselves with cosmetics.”
With 13 initiatives like Fresh Face Fridays and recycling bins in the hallways under Club 120’s belt Robertson is confident that the club will continue without her when she goes off to University. Her ultimate goal is to see Club 120 expand to all schools in Calgary and eventually Canada.
Robertson’s passion and drive to make the world a better place was noticed immediately by Kristin Marquardt, chair of the Sierra Club Chinook. Marquardt first met Robertson when she was applying for a summer student position with the Sierra Club.
“She was the youngest of all our applicants, but she just blew us away. Her energy was just tangible in the room, she was just so energetic,” recalls Marquardt. “We were all a little hesitant because she was still in high school and she has lots of other commitments but [hiring her] was the best decision we could have made.”
Anything that Marquardt or the others threw at Robertson she tackled head-on. If Robertson didn’t know how to do something she went to the library and taught herself. She wrote both the strategic plan and the communications plan for the Sierra Club Chinook.
“What stands out for me about Cassidy is her positive nature, she’s very excited about everything she’s doing, and she puts her whole self into it. She has a lot of commitments with Club 120, with Sierra club, with the Mayor’s youth council, but she gives 100% in all of them,” says Marquardt.
That passion and drive is what makes Robertson’s future ambitions make absolute sense. After she finishes University, Robertson aspires to be a “social entrepreneur.”
But just what is a social entrepreneur? Robertson explains it as someone who uses socially responsible business practices in areas such as the environment and labour practices; they also have to be transparent about where their profits are going.
There is no doubt that this year’s Leaders of Tomorrow award recipient will be one of tomorrow’s leaders.
Summer is nearly upon us, and as the sun comes out, we shed our layers and begin venturing outdoors.
