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Volunteer Postings from Across Canada

caitied — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:59:21 +0000

Volunteer Canada is the national leader in volunteer advocacy, involvement and strategy. With over 30 volunteer centers across Canada, Volunteer Canada is devoted to finding the right volunteer opportunity for you. To find a volunteer opportunity in your area check out Volunteer Canada’s local volunteer centre: Toronto, Ontario, Montreal, Quebec, Atlantic Canada, Manitoba, Calgary, Alberta, Vancouver, British Columbia, Yukon and the Territories.

One Gold Medal and Two Heroes

caitied — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:20:37 +0000

It took only 23.17 seconds for Alex Bilodeau to become Canada’s first “golden” boy of the Olympics. The world watched in great anticipation on Sunday night, as the Men’s Moguls finales went by in a blur of stumbles and sprays of snow. A fantastic run; clean, fast and high difficulty on the jumps gave Alex a total score of 26.75, and Alex became the first Canadian EVER to win an Olympic gold medal on Canadian soil. Interview requests poured in from all over the world, for both Alex and his older brother Frederic.

That’s right, there are two heroes in this Olympic story. One can fly over moguls at warp speed, and the other can barely walk. Frederic Bilodeau has cerebral palsy, and spends most of his time confined to his wheelchair. Yet, Frederic is Alex’s inspiration – and was all Alex could talk about when he found he had won gold. ”When he wakes up in the morning, he’s got that big smile,” said Alex, 22. “He goes to bed, and he’s got that big smile…You look at him, and he’s got all the right to complain. How many times do we complain in a day? I don’t think I can even count mine.”

Despite Frederic’s physical limitations, his is by no-means “disabled” – he still skis from time to time, he knows everything about Roman history and he loves to oil paint.”It’s incredible what he can do,” Serge Bilodeau said. “We have paintings of Alex doing a backflip and Beatrice in the moguls.”

And seeing the TV images of the brothers joyfully embracing near the bottom of the moguls run was a magical moment for many with this condition that frequently doesn’t receive as much attention as other disbalities. Joanne Hutchinson, a volunteer for the Halifax Regional Cerebral Palsy Association who was born with the condition points out that many people with cerebral palsy avoid going out in public, especially if they have a noticeable disability or uncontrolled muscle movements or spasms.”They don’t know much about us, they don’t have an understanding and there’s a lot of (public) misconceptions,” added Hutchinson, who hopes the focus on Frederic Bilodeau’s no-holds-barred support of his brother will help raise awareness of the condition they share.”When you saw that embrace at the end, it was just two brothers sharing that moment. And you didn’t see the disability.”

Want to learn more or volunteer? Check out:

Cerebral Palsy Support Foundation of Canada, Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy, Cerebral Palsy Association of BC, Cerebral Palsy Association of Alberta, Cerebral Palsy Association of Quebec and Cerebral Palsy Foundation Saint John

Or give you support by donating used clothing or joining the Facebook Challegne: donate $26.75 (Alex’s winning score) to the Cerebral palsy Foundation through Canada Helps.

Articles: Always Smiling Brother… by Vicki Hall – the Vancouver Sun and Bilodeau’s Esteem for Brother… by Sheryl Ubelacker – The Canadian Press

Generation We

caitied — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:08:05 +0000

Lisa Campbell Salazar

While youth are often portrayed in the media as apathetic and disengaged, the reality is that youth across Canada are taking action in their communities to make positive change. As you can see from our profiles on Get Involved, young people like Quinn Runkle, Amanda Belzowski, Bilaal Rajan and Ryan Hreljac are proving that Apathy is Boring and that youth do have the power to make change. They are not alone in their quest! There are hundreds of student activists sprouting up across the country. Youth activism ranges from grassroots collectives, to school clubs, to actual registered non-profit organizations like Schools Without Borders.

As youth are jumping to action, society at large is jumping for new language to label this new generation. Popular terms have popped up across the map; the Net Generation, Millennials, Generation Y… the list goes on! With labels come stereotypes of course. While popular stereotypes of youth as apathetic and lazy still prevail in the mainstream media, new headlines are breaking as this generation of youth that give us hope. According to recent articles youth have the highest volunteering rates of all demographics. There are many reasons for youth to volunteer, but when we asked our volunteers their main motivation is to create social change. Whether it’s raising money for schools in Africa, or lobbying municipal government, youth are working hard to be the change and transform their communities. According to Gen-We.com;

“Born between 1978 and 2000, they are 95 million strong, compared to 78 million Baby Boomers. They are independent—politically, socially, and philosophically—and they are spearheading a period of sweeping change in America and around the world.”

Generation We has taken off as a movement in Canada with Free the Children leading the pack. Free the Children works to create change in six difference countries raising money, building schools, and creating sustainable development to combat poverty. Founder Craig Kielburger was 12 years old when he started the organization, and currently 63% of donations come from children, teens and university students raising money. Their biggest event WeDay happens across Canada and features prominent activists, celebrities, politicians, and other important figures. Thousands of youth flock from across the country to attend and thousands more tune in online through CTV. Through organizations like Free the Children youth are creating change one village at a time. If you are interested in getting involved and don’t know where to start try finding a chapter at your local school or start your own! Free the Children also provides youth with a chance to volunteer abroad through Me to We with trips to places like India, Ecuador, China, Kenya and the Arizona-Mexico border. Get Involved today!

Business gives back

caitied — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:02:43 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

As the national voice for volunteerism, Volunteer Canada leads the advancement of volunteerism in strengthening society and improving quality of life in Canada by recognizing volunteer involvement as essential to building healthy, quality communities.

Working with its members and partners in communities across Canada, Volunteer Canada develops and implements a wide range of research and public policy initiatives, as well as programs, which all relate to volunteerism and the voluntary sector.

For more than a decade, Volunteer Canada has been working with businesses of all sizes across the country to help them develop, improve and justify their employee volunteer programs.

In 2005, Volunteer Canada joined forces with 21 national corporations to form the Canadian Corporate Council on Volunteering—a peer to peer group of leaders who promote the value and impact of employee volunteer programs.

The Council has continued to evolve since its inception and is now focused on the development of this Centre for Excellence in Corporate Community Involvement. The development framework for the Centre includes four pillars—Information, Curriculum, Research & Best Practices, and Consultation & Support.

The Centre for Excellence brings together the for-profit and nonprofit sectors on common ground for the first time in Canada. Participants from both sectors will learn how to better communicate and work together in partnership by leaning about each other through the four pillars.

Volunteer sector surging

caitied — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:56:48 +0000

Sat, August 8, 2009

By HANK DANISZEWSKI

For London’s growing army of unemployed, volunteering could be a useful bridge back to a job.

With unemployment soaring across the continent, reports from the United States show a surge in the volunteer sector, especially among young graduates.

Michelle Baldwin, executive director of the Pillar Nonprofit Network in London, said there’s no sign of a similar pattern in this area yet, but she expects interest in volunteer opportunities will grow as the job situation deteriorates.

“Employment agencies are definitely recommending individuals volunteer as a way to build up their resume and their network,” she said.

The Pillar Nonprofit Network encourages volunteerism and maintains a database of volunteer opportunities at non-profit agencies.

Baldwin said volunteering is valued by employers and allows job seekers to build contacts.

“Employers are looking at volunteer experience on resumes. It may not equal job experience, but it is taken into consideration,” she said.

She said recent immigrants find volunteering a good way to build experience in the community.