Once a year, Volunteer Canada sets aside time to recognize and thank volunteers for their incredible impact in our community. This year National Volunteer Week is April 15 to 21.
A legacy of caring is the result of volunteer gifts of time, skills and money. Here are some practical ways you can catch people who ‘do good’ every day.
Snap a photo. Capture those smiles and passion in action. Enter that photo in a contest.
If your photo features a leader of volunteers, email the jpeg to Maureen.Curtis@variety.bc.ca by April 9. All photos will be posted and the top three picks will receive prizes announced on the Administrators of Volunteer Resources BC (AVRBC) website.
Maybe your best photo shows how an organization or individual volunteer takes action to benefit others.
Volunteer BC wants your jpeg picture sent to volbcphotos@gmail.com by April 9. Prizes and recognition in The Connector newsletter and the annual report go to these winners.
Maybe photography is not your strength. That’s OK. Be thoughtful and plan something special for the volunteers who make a difference in your life.
Volunteer Canada offers some best practices to consider.
• Make it a priority. Ensure that someone is responsible to take notice of volunteers and to do something about their work.
• Do it often and in different ways. A hearty thank you that is well timed and sincere goes a long way. Give little treats, offer training, plan something fun, mail cards of appreciation, create a slide show and share stories with the group.
• Recognize the person. Match recognition to the achievement. Be consistent and inclusive.
In many ways, volunteers are some of the best parts of who we are as a community that raises and cares for ourselves.
Take time to celebrate the volunteers in our midst.
