Sea to Sky groups need more volunteer support

APRIL 16 TO 22 MARKS NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK, OFFERING A CHANCE TO CELEBRATE THE WORK DONE BY VOLUNTEERS ACROSS CANADA

By Robert Wisla

Every year in April, Canada celebrates National Volunteer Week. The annual occasion offers a chance for people nationwide to praise the collective impact of the millions of Canadians who freely give their time to important causes.

For more than two decades, Whistler Friends (Community Health and Welfare Society) founder Dave Clark has organized dozens of fundraising events for charitable causes, from the annual Balding for Dollars event that helps fight cancer to the upcoming Whistler Half Marathon, which supports Crohn’s and Colitis Canada.

Pulling off a large-scale event like the Whistler Half Marathon, with more than 200 runners making their way through the resort, is no easy task, but according to Clark, the key to the success of the events is the support from volunteers.

“All those events that I was involved in, to various degrees, have a volunteer element to them. I’ve been super fortunate to work with a lot of really great groups of volunteer people over the years, and events from the largest scale, like the Olympics, down to the smallest scale, like Balding for Dollars,” Clark said. “None of those events could happen without volunteer time. It really is the nuts and bolts of every event I’ve ever been involved in.”

Throughout the Whistler Half Marathon weekend, Clark aims to fill about 125 volunteer shifts, with a need for people to help at aid stations, work as course marshals, set up and tear down, and perform various other tasks, like cheering on the athletes. Year after year, people return to help at the event.

“We have a number of people that come back year after year because they just want to be part of the event,” Clark said. “They enjoy it. They think it’s fun. They like coming out, seeing the athletes, and supporting them. Whatever their driving factor is, they like to come back.”

Retaining and recruiting volunteers is a challenge at the best of times for many volunteer-dependent organizations, but this task has grown increasingly difficult in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Volunteer Canada found in a recent survey that 65 per cent of volunteerreliant organizations across Canada have experienced a decline in the number of people signing up to volunteer in the last three years, while the demand for services has increased by 32 per cent.

Jaye Russell, executive director of the Sea to Sky Community Service Society (SCSS), has seen this decline in volunteerism directly as the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted volunteer recruitment.

“Certainly, we’ve been feeling that [decline],” Russell said. “I mean, let’s not forget that COVID had a huge impact on our organization’s and many organizations’ ability to recruit and maintain the support from our volunteers.”

While the number of volunteers has declined since the pandemic, Russell noted that many new volunteers who used to commute to work and now work remotely are signing up to volunteer in growing numbers, using their additional time to connect with the community.

“Worldwide, we’ve certainly seen a decline in volunteerism. However, we are seeing a resurgence in interest in volunteerism solely from the context of folks who are working remotely, who maybe have stayed working remotely post-COVID,” Russell said. “They’re not commuting to and from the city, and they have more time to give back.”

According to Russell, the SCSS needs between 50 and 60 volunteers in a typical year to support its programs. It also requires more volunteers to help with the Pemberton foodbank and the Better at Home program, especially as demand for these services continues to rise

“By and large, we know that population increases in the corridor have certainly increased service demand. And we’re seeing that not necessarily specific to a pinpointed program, but in general. We’re seeing increases year over year of increased service demand,” Russell said.

“Now more than ever, it’s important that organizations like [SCSS] re-engage the community in a conversation about how they see themselves giving back to the community, [and] how they see themselves getting involved in the community.”

If you’re interested in volunteering, the best way to get started is by contacting the organization or event you’re interested in online and letting them know why you want to help.

National Volunteer Week takes place from April 16 to 23 this year.

Thank You!

We are grateful to all the Hospice Volunteers who assist us supporting community through life limiting illness, through caregiving and through grief.

Thank you for taking time to visit, to walk, to listen, to stitch quilts, make calls, sew celestial bags, facilitate bereavement an caregiver groups and advocate for dignity, care and compassion through end of life.

YOU offer that extra layer of support olunteer@seatoskyhospicesociety.cca audainartmuseum.com

We cele brate and t hank You!

The team at the Audain Art Museum extends a sincere thank you to our dynamic and dedicated team of Volunteers, Educators, Docents, and Committee Members!

The involvement of these passionate individuals is critical to the overall Museum visitor experience.

The AAM is thrilled to be once again welcoming new Volunteers to share their knowledge and expertise. If you are interested in contributing, our team would love to hear from you!

Email connect@audainartmuseum.com to l ear n more about becoming involved.

To our passionate and dedicated volunteers

Thank you for your time, your energy and your skills in supporting WCSS all year long.

You make all the difference to our community. We couldn’t do it without you