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An article about an 89 year-old volunteer was recently posted. Interested? Check it out!
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One of my favourite moments from the 2010 Olympics was watching Betty Fox proudly carrying a corner of the Olympic flag at the Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver. Although Mrs. Fox was joined by hockey star Bobby Orr, singer Anne Murray, racecar driver Jacques Villeneuve, gold medallist figure skater Barbara Ann Scott, Senator Romeo Dallaire, astronaut Julie Payette and Emmy Award-winning actor Donald Sutherland, it was Betty Fox I was proudest to see representing Canadian heroism.
It was with great sadness that I found out Mrs. Fox had passed away on June 17. Just recently our blog ran a story from the Terry Fox Foundation, summarizing the amazing work of this organization — work that started with Terry, but was moved forward by the tireless efforts of his mother. Every year when I was growing up, I was part of a Terry Fox run. In the 31 years since Terry’s first step, the foundation that bears his name has raised over $550 million towards cancer research. And in that time, countless lives have been saved by the awareness he raised and the advances in treatment that funding has supported.
Thank you, Mrs. Fox, for everything you have done for us. If you would like to offer your condolences to the Fox family, you can do so on the Terry Fox Foundation website.
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We lost the Cup. That was painful, whether you were watching the game on TV, in the stands, or at any of the city’s big screen gathering places. But watching how fast disappointment turned to rage and rioting was heartbreaking for the thousands of fans who just want to enjoy hockey, win or lose.
We’ve all seen the coverage, so I don’t want to belabour the ugliness of it. But there were many signs of citizen engagement during and after the riot, and that gives me heart and hope. Facebook became a gathering place for everyone who wanted to speak out against the violence, join together to help identify the culprits, and clean up after the mess.
The Post-Riot Clean-Up event was one of the first. Over 17,000 signed up to attend, and it looks like they may have all made it down! The pictures of the Canuck fans cleaning up on Thursday morning are inspiring: resolute faces, determined to show the best of our city. If you were thinking you could wander downtown this afternoon and help with the clean-up, you were out of luck: there wasn’t a scrap of torn jersey or cigarette butt left to be found on our streets.
Everyone helping the Clean Up Effort
Clean Up of Burned Vancouver Police Car
Bakers serving cookies to the Riot Clean Up crew
And more pictures from CTV’s coverage.
Reading the @VancouverClean twitter feed just makes me want to cry happy tears.
A variety of sites are up on Facebook where you can post pictures of the rioters and ask others to tag those photos to help identify the criminals. If you took photos or videos of violence, vandalism or looting at the riot downtown, the Vancouver Police are asking you to send that evidence to robbery@vpd.ca.
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“Volunteers are those citizens who believe that something is out of kilter between individuals and society, and believe they have an obligation and an opportunity to do something about it now. They do not believe they should sit back and let nature take its course. For whatever reason, vounteers do not feel powerless to effect change. They choose to get involved and to give the perceived problem their best shot within the constraints of their time, energy, knowledge and skills.”
- Jane Mallory Park in “Meaning Well Is Not Enough: Perspectives on Volunteering”
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Jeong Hyun Kim: Hard at work in the artifact collection.
Volunteers are the heart of the Port Moody Station Museum. Started by a group of volunteers, the Port Moody Heritage Society worked to purchase the former Port Moody train station and turn it into a community Museum in the late 1970s. Over the years, volunteers have contributed to important Museum projects like the purchase and renovation of the train car and the establishment of a heritage garden.
Today, the Museum has over 80 volunteers who help with events, maintain the artifact collection, tend the heritage garden and work on our board of directors. As a charitable organization with a small staff, the Museum relies on volunteers to offer many of its services.
Today, Museum Coordinator, Rebecca Clarke notes that volunteers who want to help at the Museum are often new to Canada and are looking to learn about their community and improve their language skills. While the usual volunteer positions aren’t generally a good fit, Rebecca believes there is an opportunity here. The Museum is currently seeking funding to create a unique volunteer program for new Canadians. The program would teach new Canadians about the history of immigrants in the Tri Cities and give them skills in museum interpretation so they can share their knowledge with others. The hope is that the Museum can offer international visitors and other newcomers the chance to learn about Port Moody in a variety of languages. Volunteers would gain knowledge and skills while the Museum would be able to reach a new audience. It is a win for everyone.
The Port Moody Station Museum is located at 2734 Murray Street, next to Rocky Point Park in Port Moody. For more information about the Museum and its volunteer positions, please visit www.portmoodymuseum.org.
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Also seen in the Tri City News, April 6, 2011
Young Squadder Helps Fish Thrive at the Fingerling Festival
Lives are busy, but giving back to community is still a priority for many Tri Cities families. The Community Volunteer Connections Flying Squad has been evolving into a fun and practical way for families to volunteer together, in all kinds of ways.
The Flying Squad has connected families to volunteer opportunities that range from:
“We’re really excited about the Buddy Reading volunteer opportunity that ran over the summer at Burquitlam Lions Care Centre,” says Lynn Heinrich, Program Coordinator for the Flying Squad. The seniors love having the kids read to them, but they also get to help kids improve their reading skills. Parents want their kids to keep up their reading over the summer. It can be hard to tell who is doing the volunteering! The Flying Squad hopes to expand the Buddy Reading volunteer opportunity in the upcoming summer.
Kids are a great volunteer asset at community event. One Flying Squad parent tells her story: “My child and I were assigned a carnival game at the SHARE Hallowe’en event, where people had to throw balls into the mouth of a plywood clown. Of course when they missed, the balls bounced everywhere! My son had a great time chasing them down, and I didn’t have to run around at all. “
Why volunteer with your kids? “We want to teach our kids social responsibility, and volunteering together lets them see that giving back is just part of life.”
To find out how your family can get involved, contact Lynn Heinrich at 604-529-5143. Join online at www.volunteerconnections.net/flyingsquad.asp
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“Even if I don’t finish, we need others to continue. It’s got to keep going without me.”
These were the words spoken by Terry Fox on July 10th 1980. His Marathon of Hope had captured the hearts of a nation and people everywhere wanted to be a part of helping Terry to realize his dream of a world free from cancer.
31 years after Terry began his historic Run on April 12th 1980, the Canadian public, and the world, has never forgotten Terry’s story and his legacy lives on in each and every single person that has taken up Terry’s torch to keep his dream alive.
Few Canadians would ever have imagined that the Terry Fox Run would one day mark its 31st year. The longevity of the Run is a great testament to Canadians determination to see Terry’s dream fulfilled, and to make a lasting contribution to the health of our families and ourselves. We continue to be inspired by all who share in Terry’s dream and by the hope and inspiration he has left with each and every one of us.
The Terry Fox Foundation exists today because of the passion and dedication of an amazing group of volunteers from the west coast of our country all the way to the east coast and in countries around the world where Terry Fox Runs take place. Each and every single Run that takes place is organized and run by a volunteer who give their gift of time and energy for nothing more than a simple thank you and the knowledge that they are making a difference in the lives of people living with cancer.
Here in the British Columbia and Yukon office of The Terry Fox Foundation, we have more than 100 Terry Fox Runs that take place around our region and it is the dedication of these volunteers that make the Run possible in the communities where they live. They provide an opportunity for the community to come out and share in helping to keep Terry’s Marathon of Hope alive and thriving today. They put on these events with no budget from us but with the support from the communities where they live. There are also more than 1,400 schools in our region that also take part in sharing Terry’s dream with our youth.
The Terry Fox Foundation continues to exist today because of these amazing volunteers and we would be nowhere without them.
Volunteers at the Port Coquitlam office
Here in the provincial office in Terry’s hometown of Port Coquitlam, we are deeply thankful to the office volunteers that continue to come in week after week to give of their time and passion for Terry’s dream that allow our full time staff of only three people to do the work that needs to be done. They are an amazing group of individuals that have become a part of our Terry Fox family. Many of them have been here for more than five years and one very dedicated young woman has been here for the past 14 years…simply because they believe in Terry and his dream.
The Terry Fox Foundation firmly believes in our obligation to be fully transparent in all matters relating to fiscal reporting. With only 3¢ of every dollar raised going towards administration, and 10¢ going towards fundraising costs, The Foundation is an industry leading in fundraising accountability. It is the dedication of our volunteers that allow us to continue to keep our expenses low so that our generous donors can be assured that the donations they are giving are making their way to cancer research.
Simply put, we would be nowhere without our Terry Fox volunteers. They are the true Terry Foxers and the reason that 31 years later, Terry’s dream lives on.
Thank you to every single one them who play a part in finding a cure for cancer and in keep Terry’s dream burning brightly.
– Donna White, Provincial Director
PDF: Terry Fox runs from around the world
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Living in Emergency plays at the Vancity Theatre Thursday April 21 7:15PM
National Volunteer Week wouldn’t be complete without recognizing the contributions of Canadian volunteers who see the whole world as an opportunity to make a difference. Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors without Borders sends doctors and other medical professionals overseas to provide “medical help to people caught in many kinds of catastrophes, including armed conflicts, disasters such as floods and earthquakes, epidemics of disease and malnutrition crises.”
On Thursday April 21 at the Vancity Theatre is a screening of “Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders” Directed by Mark Hopkins, “Living In Emergency” is the first time Medecins Sans Frontiers/Doctors Without Borders has given a documentary crew uncensored access to its field operations. The documentary is filmed in war-torn Congo and post-conflict Liberia and tells the stories of four doctors as they struggle to provide emergency medical care under extreme conditions.
If this film leaves you hungry for more, the April issue of Outpost Magazine features their annual Global Volunteer Guide, including a directory of 38 organizations that send Canadian volunteers overseas, and tips and stories from volunteers abroad. Most stores with a decent magazine selection carry Outpost Magazine.
And check out our previous blog post on international volunteering.
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