Volunteer Canada Champions Renewed Commitment to Volunteering Amid Urgent Need
TORONTO, April 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- During National Volunteer Week (NVW), April 14 to 20, 2024, Volunteer Canada celebrates Canada's volunteers and their fundamental importance to our nation's wellbeing. The annual celebration is a time to thank, recognize, and celebrate volunteers from coast to coast to coast. This year's theme, Every Moment Matters, highlights the importance of every volunteer and each contribution they're making to strengthen our communities, at a moment when Canada needs their support more than ever.
Today, 40 per cent of charities report a lasting increase in demand for services, and more than a fifth of Canadians (22 per cent) expect to rely on charities for basic needs, according to the Canada Helps Giving Report 2023. At the same time, Canada has seen a historic decline in volunteers, with 55 per cent of charities reporting fewer volunteers than before the pandemic. Continued difficulty in recruiting and retaining consistent volunteers are causing concerns of further program closures.
To share knowledge and inspire collaborative action, Volunteer Canada is hosting a panel of exceptional leaders and volunteers who will share moments of contribution, inspiration, and impact. The April 16th online event will feature a discussion with Kirstin Beardsley, CEO, Food Banks Canada, Mélanie Valcin, CEO, United for Literacy, and Lorraine Lafrenière, CEO, Coaching Association of Canada, alongside volunteers from each organization.
"Every Moment Matters. Now more than ever, co-creating community wellbeing and strengthening inclusion and belonging require the sharing of our time, skills, empathy, and creativity," says Volunteer Canada President and CEO Dr. Megan Conway. "Whatever we can contribute right now is valued and needed. During National Volunteer Week, we celebrate each and every volunteer's effort and our collective impact in moving us from surviving to thriving again."
In the face of urgent challenges such as the rising costs of living, an aging population, social isolation, and the climate crisis, it's more important than ever to find ways to volunteer. To further support volunteer activity and the organizations that rely on them to address these challenges, Volunteer Canada is developing and implementing a National Volunteer Action Strategy with a newly announced investment from the Federal Government.
"As Canada faces a variety of ongoing challenges, we remain confident in the knowledge that Every Moment Matters. By coming together and committing to volunteering, we contribute exponentially to the quality of life we all strive for," says Volunteer Canada Board Chair Lisa Mort-Putland. "This National Volunteer Week, we thank and celebrate our volunteers. They are fundamental to meeting this moment."
During National Volunteer Week 2024, Volunteer Centres, volunteer-supported organizations, and businesses across the country will celebrate each volunteer and recognize that Every Moment Matters. Everyone is invited to participate online and to find their next volunteer opportunity at volunteer.ca.
Volunteer Canada
Volunteer Canada provides national leadership and expertise on volunteerism to increase the participation, quality, and diversity of volunteer experiences. Since 1977 Volunteer Canada has collaborated closely with volunteer centres, businesses, non-profit organizations, government, and educational institutions to promote and broaden volunteering. Our programs, research, training, tools, resources, and national initiatives provide leadership on issues and trends in Canada's volunteer landscape.
www.volunteer.ca | X: @VolunteerCanada | Instagram: VolunteerCanada | Facebook: VolunteerCanada | LinkedIn: Volunteer-Canada | YouTube: VolunteerCanada | #NVW2024 #EveryMomentMatters
For more information:
Leslie Booth
Xposure PR
[email protected]
416.427.1588
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