Three events connect volunteers with meaningful opportunities

Peterborough Square came alive on May 7 as hundreds of volunteers flooded the lower hallway during our Meet Your Match Volunteer Fair.

During a few hours, countless people connected with roles that will enrich their lives and increase the capacity of various non-profits.

This is just one of three magical events we have on the go to support our community.

First, let’s celebrate what happened at the Meet Your Match Volunteer Fair. Three dozen charities set up displays to highlight some of the opportunities they have open at the moment.

They met with inspired people who came specifically looking to get involved. It was hard to tell who was more excited to make these connections.

On the way out, some individuals stopped us to rave about how they had discovered the perfect way to share their skills. They had been on the hunt for a while and beamed at having finally nailed it down how they would spend their valued time.

We know there is a great appetite to donate volunteer talents; people simply need help from groups like ours to make it happen. Some residents moved here in recent years and are just getting involved close to home now.

The groups who participated also appreciated how the day came together. Here are some of their comments:

• “Thanks for organizing a wonderful event. We spoke to lots of great people and certainly found some new volunteers for the Kawartha Youth Orchestra.”
• “Great event. A lot of good contacts and it was nice to chat with non-profits and charities.”
• “Yesterday was a great volunteer info fair! Congrats to you on a superwell done job!”

This message from the Peterborough Canoe and Kayak Club encapsulated the spirit of the day.

“It is so important for the health of a community for volunteers to be connected with organizations in need of help. You have landed on a fun and efficient way of doing just that.”

We did that!!!

Upcoming volunteer events

Looking ahead, we are grateful for a Community Services Grant from the City to support a Volunteer Engagement Workshop on Monday, May 26. It runs from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Friendship room at New Canadians Centre on Aylmer Street.

This workshop takes an employment counsellor’s approach to an individual’s volunteer journey, as if they were seeking a rewarding job. Each person will identify and articulate their skills then discuss how volunteering can fuel their passions and interests.

Next, they will use VolunteerPeterborough.ca to look for existing volunteer opportunities. The site has more than 150 jobs posted for anyone to peruse any time of day.

By deepening the “why” they are volunteering, we aim to increase volunteer engagement and can facilitate longer lasting matches.

This is a trial in collaboration with NCC Youth programming staff. From here, the same model may be repeated at other locations in June, August, September and November.

Finally, we are planning a panel discussion on how to engage student volunteers. By sharing insights from experts at the public school board, Ontario Parks and Trent University, we will equip volunteer managers to get the best of the youths who sign up to help them.

The goal is to convert high school students into life-long volunteers by making their first experiences great ones. Since they must complete 40 hours of community service to graduate, why not make each moment amazing?

We are still confirming details but you can sign up to get more details once we have them.

To find out more about any of these events, email info@VolunteerPeterborough.ca. We exist to increase the capacity of the community and welcome your help to reach this goal.