Volunteer Update
January 20th, 2010
Making an Impact Everyday at The 519
Every day at The 519 I see the impact volunteers make on our programs, staff and members. For volunteers, seeing the effect of their work is a major reason they dedicate time to The Centre.
Hearing volunteers talk about their impact is one of the best parts of my job. For some, it’s a person they were able to assist; for others, it’s feeling part of a Centre that is connected to important struggles they care about. How do you want to be a part of The 519?
It’s Tax Season!
This time last year we began our annual Volunteer Income Tax Clinic. The Clinic ran three times a week for two months by a team of 24 dedicated volunteers. During each shift, volunteers completed tax forms and calculated refunds for low-income members of our community. We’re now building our team for this year. If you have experience with taxes (even just filling out your own) we could use your help! We’ll host training sessions in February, and the clinic will run through March and April. You can find the volunteer job posting here, and if you’re interested in joining us, you can send an application through our website.
Holiday Volunteers
Sharing in the preparation of a meal and meeting with new people are some of the best ways to connect with the community and see the results of your volunteer efforts. As we wrote in December, volunteers and staff prepared warm meals for our Sunday Drop-In participants on Boxing Day and New Years Day. These extra days provided the opportunity for new volunteers to meet our Sunday Drop-In team.
This is what Jeffrey, a new volunteer, had to say about his experiences:
“It being New Year’s Day and all, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get up so early, but I am so glad that I did! It was my first time volunteering in this program and as soon as I sleepily stumbled in, coffee in hand, Darlene, Richard, Ryli and the other staff and volunteers warmly greeted me. I felt comfortable from the moment I walked into the kitchen. That feeling of belonging continued as I started to help chop vegetables, wash dishes, mix juice and prepare lunch.
I’ve volunteered before in places that don’t really have much for the volunteers to do, and I’ve ended up standing around. This was not the case at The 519. I was busy the entire four hours I was there, which made for a fun and very meaningful volunteer experience.
The real highlight, though, came when I helped to serve the participants who had come in for the meal. The opportunity to have that kind of direct interaction with the people of the community is a big reason why I wanted to start volunteering. That, combined with the extraordinary people in the kitchen, made for an awesome experience on New Year’s Day - one that I was eager to repeat the following Sunday.
As a newcomer to Toronto, I found just what I’ve been looking for at The 519 - a sense of community and purpose.”
Thanks to Jeffrey, David, Jason, Sharon, Richard and all the volunteers and staff that shared their holidays with The 519.
Upcoming Opportunities
What’s next? Check out our current opportunities. Our next “New Volunteer Information Session” will be held on Wednesday January 27 at 7:00 pm at The 519. This is a great opportunity to meet staff of The Centre and other potential volunteers, and to hear about new opportunities to volunteer at The Centre. All interested new volunteers are encouraged to attend.
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Scott Clarke has held five different positions at The 519 until finding his home as the Volunteer Development Officer. Unable to stick to just one program, he now works with over 300 volunteers touching every aspect of the Centre. This is the first of his monthly blog entries on volunteerism and community participation at The 519 Church Street Community Centre.
Tags: Church and Wellesley, holiday, LGBT, meal, scott clarke, tax clinic, taxes, The 519, The 519 Church Street Community Centre, volunteer
Posted in Community Development, Events, Volunteers |
