“Volunteerism is the voice of the people put into action. These actions shape and mold the present into a future of which we can all be proud.” – Helen Dyer.
The theme for this year’s National Volunteer Week is ”The Value of one, the power of many.” In Canada, volunteers provide essential services through charities, nonprofits and community organizations. In 2018, almost 12.7 million people volunteered and devoted approximately 1.7 billion hours to their formal volunteer activities, a volume of work equivalent to more than 863,000 full-time, year-round jobs.
Volunteers are the heart and soul of an organization and it is no different at Latincouver. By the end of 2020, the number of volunteers had increased from 9 to 32 in the marketing department. In 2020, the total number of volunteers reached 180, including 156 in the core team. The volunteers were positively impacted, as they received help connecting with people, making friends and receiving job opportunities. They also picked up new skills and developed and honed the ones they already had.
Natasha Kutinskas Mayer volunteers as HR recruiter with Latincouver and is extremely pleased with her experience. She was a HR generalist in Brazil for five years. When she moved to Vancouver, she wanted to connect with her roots and the Latin American culture. She said, “ My experience at Latincouver has been amazing. The organization has been like a welcoming mother to me and has opened a lot of doors for me professionally.” She also explained how her experience as a volunteer has helped her professionally, “ My experience at Latincouver has helped me deal successfully with diversity. Specificities apart, I could ask different questions and learned how to recruit a diverse workforce.”
As Pei-Chuyi-Hung, who has volunteered with Latincouver as a sales assistant, puts it, “It has been a very memorable experience to work with a team of volunteers dedicated to providing exceptional work together. Though it was in the midst of the pandemic and we had to restructure the programs and implement different strategies, the great team effort made it possible!”
Volunteering is a gift, including for the volunteers themselves. Giving such a precious resource as time can have a massive and life-changing impact on the lives of everyone involved. Latincouver will surely continue to help and support volunteers in contributing to the advancement of a philanthropic cause.
Bartika Dutta
