Around the world and in Airdrie, Dec. 5 marks International Volunteer Day, highlighting the important work volunteers do for the community.
“This is just a way of life for us,” said Tiernan Neufeld, volunteer co-ordinator and director of youth programming with Volunteer Airdrie Society. “We are really here to help organizations find volunteers.”
According to Neufeld, Volunteer Airdrie recently achieved a milestone when the organization reached 1,000 registered volunteers. She said that achievement shows people are interested in doing their part to help, even in the midst of a global pandemic.
“Volunteers like the fact that they can help others,” she said. “We are really fortunate we have so many people signed up. The 1,010 members that have signed up are people who are selfless and want to give back to their community.”
Neufeld said when she joined Volunteer Airdrie a few years ago, there were approximately 200 volunteers registered.
“It’s just amazing that more people know who we are and what we do,” she said. “The momentum has really grown, and more people want to get engaged.”
According to Neufeld, volunteer numbers have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, showing people won’t let tough times bring them down. She added there have been commitments from people all over the world who want to get involved.
Volunteer Airdrie runs a program that gets volunteers to send letters, cards and crosswords to seniors in care homes and retirement facilities.
“Seniors can’t have visitors, so they get lonely,” Neufeld said. “[Every] little bit counts. We have had a volunteer out of Ontario who has sent around 30 crossword puzzles to our seniors here in Airdrie and that was really awesome.”
International Volunteer Day also allows Volunteer Airdrie to shine a light on local youth who have committed time to important projects, Neufeld said. She said she became involved in volunteering when she was 18 years old, as she saw the need for more youth volunteering opportunities. Now 20 years old, she said volunteering opportunities for youth are still limited.
“We want to help out and make an impact on our community,” she said. “That starts quite young, the biggest thing was getting the Youth Volunteer Corps in Airdrie out there so we could get them involved.”
According to Neufeld, there are currently more than 50 youth who have signed up for the Youth Volunteer Corps since its inception more than a year ago. She said the youth who take part in the group’s initiatives are interested and engaged.
“You can tell they really want to help out their community,” she said. “I am super excited that this is happening, and we can get the youth involved.”
According to volunteerairdrie.ca, research shows that volunteers are more likely to lead connected lives, improving their personal well-being and sense of meaning.
“As a result, we see less social isolation which is often linked to stress and to poor health,” the website stated.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
