NORTH WELLINGTON – Volunteer Appreciation Week is back again, running April 14 to 20.
This year’s theme is “Every Moment Matters,” which “highlights the importance of every volunteer and each contribution they make at a moment when we need support more than ever,” Volunteer Canada states in its 2024 National Volunteer Week Campaign.
Communities in north Wellington are holding events to celebrate.
Minto
Minto will be recognizing volunteers at its 13th annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on April 18.
The event is being held at the Palmerston and District Community Centre, and according to Mayor Dave Turton, over 200 volunteers are registered along with 26 different community groups.
“It’s just a little something that we [do to] try and give back,” said Turton.
“Volunteers are our strength and it’s very important to thank our volunteers and let them know how much they’re appreciated.”
Although the cut-off to RSVP to the dinner has passed, people are still encouraged to thank and celebrate community volunteers.
Minto also held its Northern Wellington Works volunteer and job fair on April 11 at Norwell District Secondary School in Palmerston.
Apart from a typical job fair, there were many groups and organizations registered to appear at the event to promote volunteer opportunities, stated Minto’s director of economic and community development Belinda Wick-Graham in an email to the Community News.
Wellington North
The Township of Wellington North is hosting its fifth Volunteer Celebration and Newcomer Welcome on April 18. This is the third year the township has done so, and the event will be held at the Arthur and Area Community Centre.
The volunteer and newcomer events are held in Arthur in the spring, and in Mount Forest in the fall.
The community celebrations first began when in 2018, the municipality adopted its recreation master plan.
“As part of that plan, it recognized the value of the volunteers and not only delivering high quality rec programming, but other programs and services as well,” said Mike Wilson, community development coordinator with Wellington North.
“One of the recommendations was to create a volunteer recognition program to celebrate the volunteers and their achievements and contributions. Volunteers are the backbone of 99 per cent of all the programs that go on in a town.”
The events are free-of-charge, but do require registration as they fill up fast.
With only around 225 spots available, the April 18 event is full. However, Wilson explained that there will be more information about the next event on Sept. 12 coming out in the following months.
“Instead of [volunteers] feeding us at a charity meal or something, we can give them a meal and let them sit back and relax,” said Wilson.
Also at the April 18 event, officials will announce the Senior of the Year Award recipient and recognize those receiving Ontario Volunteer Service Awards.
