Guelph-Wellington’s theme for National Volunteer Week this year is Volunteers Build Caring Communities.
The centre said volunteers’ enthusiasm and spirit instill a sense of community pride, inspiring others to participate in building a caring community. The outstanding service volunteers provide makes Guelph and Wellington County great places to live, work and play.
The Volunteer Centre of Guelph Wellington is dedicated to supporting volunteers and member organizations by:
– promoting volunteer opportunities;
– encouraging volunteerism, through promotion of National Volunteer Week;
– training for effective volunteer engagement; and
– providing leadership to support community needs.
The Volunteer Centre hosts an on-line database of volunteer opportunities, as well as providing walk-in and telephone service. Volunteers can search for appropriate volunteer positions related to a field of interest (such as children, animals, special events), length of commitment (short-term, long-term), location, or by organization.
The centre is dedicated to supporting the community by providing local, accurate information on services that enable access to the basic necessities of life, promote emotional stability, and adaptation to new environments.
Community Information Guelph is a program of the Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington. It provides information on community organizations, human services, events, and government contacts.
Information is provided by phone, walk-in or our on-line internet database.
National Volunteer Week Events in Guelph and Wellington County include the fifth annual Dr. William Winegard Exemplary Volunteer Involvement awards.
That event honours the significant community involvement and charitable activities of University of Guelph students, staff, and faculty. The awards were presented on March 31.
On April 11 from 10am to 12pm, the Volunteer Centre will be hosting an official launch to mark the beginning of National Volunteer Week. This launch will feature star speakers, with an all star line-up and a Wall of Fame portraying members and local volunteers.
The annual Time to Give community breakfast will be held on April 14 featuring an all-star cast of community volunteers, organizations and employers on the Galaxy Cinema’s red carpet. The event premieres short films made to celebrate volunteering.
Tickets for that event must be purchased in advance by calling 519-822-0912 extension 224.
The County of Wellington Volunteer Appreciation awards are presented to individuals who demonstrate generosity of time and spirit by achieving outstanding results as a volunteer. There is a recipient from each of the seven towns and townships in Wellington County. They will be presented at the April 28 county council meeting.
“Volunteering is a fundamental building block of civil society. It brings to life the noblest aspirations of humankind – the pursuit of peace, freedom, opportunity, safety, and justice for all people,” states the Universal Declaration on Volunteering, 2001.
It began 68 years ago.
National Volunteer Week began in 1943 as a way to draw attention to the impact women were having on the war effort on the home front. In the late 1960s, the focus grew to include all community volunteers. In Canada, 12.5 million volunteers dedicate their time to the front lines of our community services – health care, Sports and recreation, heritage and arts, environmental protection and advocacy, disaster relief, international development, firefighting – and many more. The week pays tribute to these millions who give freely of their time and energy.
All across Canada, volunteers strengthen communities. They participate on boards, committees, mentor peers, plan cultural and special day events, organize recreational programs, support older adults, provide shelter, tutor young people, clean parks and streets, and much more.
People volunteer because they believe in something – the equal opportunity of all, healthy and safe communities, active living and helping others. Volunteers aspire to make our communities a better place to live and enhance the lives of others. They inspire and encourage others to participate. We honour them for these contributions.
Volunteer Canada is celebrating National Volunteer Week with the theme: Volunteers. Passion. Action. Impact. It is based on the individual super-heros across Canada who dedicate themselves to making their communities better – and Canada a great place to live.
For more information about Volunteer Canada and its resources, visit www.volunteer.ca/nvw/.
International Year of the Volunteer (IYV plus10). Proclaimed in 2001, the International Year of the Volunteer was created through Japan’s recommendation at the 52nd assembly of the United Nations. The 10th anniversary offers an exceptional opportunity to join the global effort to revitalize the spirit of volunteerism. The United Nations Volunteers met to develop a Global Plan of Action to guide stakeholders.
That included a vision statement, along with volunteer values, volunteer engagement and volunteering in the future guidelines. The vision statement is: Inspiring the Volunteer in You. In celebrating IYV+10, volunteer values are:
– an expression of the common humanity and as a means of building mutual respect, understanding, trust, solidarity and reciprocity.
– universal and inclusive, and recognize volunteering diversity, as well as the purpose that sustains it.
For more information, visit www.worldvolunteerweb.org/iyv-10.html.
