Happy National Volunteer Week!
“If our hopes of building a better and safer world are to become more than wishful thinking, we will need the engagement of volunteers more than ever.” – Kofi Annan
From April 7 to 13, Catholic Social Services (CSS) will join thousands of other not-for-profits across Canada to celebrate the tremendous contributions and impact of volunteers during National Volunteer Week.
At CSS, we are humbled by the passion our volunteers bring into our offices, residences, and program areas every day. In 2018, 489 volunteers contributed over 18,500 hours across the agency, helping to support and uplift the people we serve in communities across the province.
These hours were spent doing everything from serving hot meals to community members at our annual UpLift Day to providing leadership and direction for our agency as a member of our Board of Directors. At its core, volunteering is about uplifting individuals who need it the most, and CSS is proud to have hundreds of volunteers who are committed to accomplishing this goal with humility, compassion, and respect for all.
Volunteers are truly one of the fundamental building blocks of our agency. Some of our programs are entirely volunteer driven – it is because of the selfless donation of time, energy and skills that the Welcome Home, Cultural Links Matching, and LACE (Learning and Community Enrichment) programs all exist. Each of these programs, which provide support to some of the most vulnerable individuals our agency serves, would not exist if not for volunteers.
Other programs are made better, or enhanced, through the support of volunteers, including pet therapy or recreational therapy volunteers who visit our residences to spend time with, and bring joy to, our clients; to administrative support volunteers who stuff and mail letters to donors; to event volunteers, who work behind the scenes to make our many public outreach and fundraising events possible.
It is our deepest hope that each and every volunteer understands how, by giving their time, they have a lasting and life-changing impact on the individuals we serve.
This week, I encourage you to watch our website and social media platforms for stories of how volunteers are making a difference across our agency and throughout the province.
If these stories inspire you, and you or someone you know shares our vision for what a better world looks like and would like to work towards it together, we invite you to contact our Volunteer Services team at volunteer@cssalberta.ca or call 780.432.1137.
Finally, on behalf of Catholic Social Services’ staff and clients, a sincere thank you to our volunteers for choosing to donate your time with us in 2018. It is my sincere hope that you have found your time with us both challenging and rewarding, and we look forward to continuing to uplift individuals and communities together throughout 2019.
Blessings Always,
Dr. Troy Davies
CEO, Catholic Social Services