As spring arrives, an important week is upon us: National Volunteer Week. This week is about celebrating, recognizing and thanking volunteers for their contribution, and for me, it is also time to reflect on my own volunteer experiences and commitment to supporting Nellie’s.

The contribution of volunteers is incredibly important in our society, particularly for non-profit groups and organizations like Nellie’s that rely on volunteers to help shape and deliver its programs and services.

In 2010, according to the Canada Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating[1]:

• More than 13.3 million people across Canada, or 47% of the population, volunteered their time through a group or organization
• Canadians volunteered nearly 2.1 billion hours – the equivalent of nearly 1.1 million full-time jobs (assuming 40 hours per week for 48 weeks).

For many, volunteering is way to give back to the community, gain valuable experience, develop new skills or meet others with similar interests and passions. For many Nellie’s volunteers, like myself, it is all of these things and much more.

Volunteering with Nellie’s means having a positive impact in our community and society at large. By supporting the goals, programs and services of an organization striving for social justice, economic and political equality for all women and children, we are not only helping to empower and engage those we directly interact with, but also advocating for and promoting broader social change.

I currently volunteer on Nellie’s Social Justice, Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression Committee (SJ/ARAO Committee). This board committee is made up of Nellie’s staff and members of the community.  The committee’s purpose is to develop annual social justice priorities and organizational positions on social issues. It also ensures that the principles of feminism and anti-racism and anti-oppression are consistently reflected and active at Nellie’s.

My experience is just one example of how you can volunteer with Nellie’s. At a recent International Women’s Day event, we took turns introducing ourselves and identifying our role or affiliation with the organization. I knew there were many ways to participate and support Nellie’s, but there was even more variety among the volunteers than I imagined:

• board members
• committee members
• student placements for social work, social studies, counseling etc.
• co-op student placements
• research project coordinators and support
• workshop leaders and facilitators
• administrative support
• fundraising and advocacy event support (including musicians)
• food bank, auction, and garage sale volunteers

For those reading who already volunteer with Nellie’s – keep up the great work and know that your efforts are truly appreciated. For those thinking about getting involved, I urge you to visit Nellie’s volunteer page for more information: http://www.nellies.org/get-involved/volunteer/ .

For more information about National Volunteer Week please visit: http://volunteer.ca/nvw2014 .