As communities continue to band together in the face of the coronavirus, Volunteer Airdrie hopes to recognize the hard work of those that give back during National Vounteer Week.
“This year is the first time we’re celebrating on a virtual basis,” said David Maffitt, chair of Volunteer Airdrie. “We want to make sure that everybody realizes that…volunteerism is still vital to our community. We encourage people to look for new and creative ways to do that, and we want to thank them more than ever.”
National Volunteer Week kicked off April 19 and runs until April 25. According to a press release from Volunteer Airdrie, this year’s theme is “It’s time to applaud Canada’s volunteers.” Maffitt said the ongoing pandemic has shone a light on the importance of volunteerism, and presents an excellent opportunity to show gratitude.
“I’d really like to thank all the volunteers that are out there working hard during this crisis. I know it’s extremely challenging and emotional and taxing,” David Maffitt said. “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It won’t be forgotten. We really do appreciate everything you’ve done. We hope you can take some time this week and enjoy some of the recognition that is very well deserved.”
Across the country, people are encouraged to print a poster from volunteer.ca or create their own to display in their windows this week to recognize local volunteers, or to thank volunteers on social media using the hashtags #CheersToVolunteers and #NVW2020.
Maffitt said Volunteer Airdrie is also collecting stories and videos from around the community of local “volunteer heroes” that will be disseminated through the organization’s social media channels.
“We have a couple templates for certificates,” he added. “We are encouraging people to nominate people they think are volunteering heroes, and we’re more than happy to send those folks a very special commemorative certificate.
To nominate a volunteer, Maffitt said residents should send their names and a short explanation of why they deserve recognition to him at [email protected]
In Airdrie, volunteers contribute nearly 4 million hours per year, Maffitt estimates, which is equivalent to more than $115 million dollars per year.
“Across Canada, roughly 44 per cent of Canadians aged 15 and older volunteer, but we know from our own research…that volunteerism in Airdrie is higher than the national average,” Maffitt said. “We’re probably closer to 47 per cent.”
With formal volunteering opportunities restricted, Maffitt said an abundance of creative and do-it-yourself volunteering has emerged in Airdrie during the pandemic, and people can continue to volunteer informally by donating items or cash to local non-profits organizations, sewing mask to support health-care workers or checking in on their neighbours’ needs.
“We hope that a lot of people that haven’t volunteered before [and] take the time to do some of this pandemic volunteering will realize that not only is it the right thing to do, but it’s a lot of fun,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to retain them as volunteers in the future.”
Ben Sherick, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @BenSherick
