Volunteering, Why I Do It.

The week of April 23-29 is National Volunteer Week in Canada. This year it holds added significance because it is Canada's 150th birthday.  There will be many ways to get involved to celebrate the country through volunteerism.

I already do my part. I am involved in sports organizations, festivals, associations and every major event that comes to Winnipeg. The last couple of years our city has played host to FIFA Women's World Cup and Grey Cup. This summer is the Canada Summer Games and I will be apart of it.

I have a basic rule for volunteering, the minute it stops being fun and becomes a chore or like work that is the time to move on from that volunteer involvement.  In the past few years I have not had to do this. The organizations I am involved with hold special meaning for me.

I am back for my 15th year with the Winnipeg Folk Festival. For most years I was on the traffic Crew directing traffic and parking cars. Now I am in hotel hospitality. The cool aspect to this festival is that  the entertainers both well known and newly known and everyone is cool and down to earth. Over the years I have met Steve Earle, Xavier Rudd, Bruce Cockburn to name a few..

I remember talking win Steve Earle and he had nothing but rave reviews for all the volunteers. Regular folk coming together over music. My best friend Mike, God rest his soul, every April would ask me if this was the year. I finally said yes and have regretted it at all.

For the last 11 years I have volunteered with Manitoba Soccer Association in many capacities. I served on the Board for 2 years. Serve as disciplinarian for the local Senior Men's League and served as 1rst VP for 7 years. This past winter I was honoured with the senior volunteer award for outstanding contributions to soccer. I wasn't much of a player, coach or referee, however, found my niche as a volunteer.  It is a beautiful game.

For the last five years I have volunteered with various Sport Manitoba events especially the Hall of Fame dinner. I fell in love with this dinner in 2003 when my father was inducted into the hall. After attending many of the dinners, the logical step was t volunteer at it. The beauty of this event you have professional atheletes mixing with amateur atheletes and everyone's ego is checked at the door. My role at the dinner is to monitor the artifacts of all the inductees. This past year Mike Keane 3 time Stanley Cup winner was inducted complete with minature Stanley Cup on hand.

For the last 3 years I have been involved with Canadian Mental Health Association Winnipeg/Manitoba region. I volunteer at special events, booths, leading discussions and I am a MILE 5 speaker, where I go into schools and share my mentaL health story.  When I first signed up this I was unsure of my role and said to the staff person, do I fit in here. You see all the other people learning to share their story except for one were much younger than me.  Taylor reassured me that I do have a story to tell.

I had spent 25 years in Toastmasters learning how to speak in public and within 3 months of sharing  writing, preparing and sharing my story along with everyone else's story I learnt more about speaking in public than I every did in Toastmasters.

This has been the most rewarding volunteer experience for me. Each time I share my mental health story I help myself and hopefully help others.

April 22nd was Earth Day, I read that service to others is the rent you pay to earth for occupying a space. I have found the more you give in volunteering the more you get back.