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I Care...I Volunteer | Issue #56
Dear <<First Name>>,
Welcome to our September edition of the 'I Care...I Volunteer' newsletter.

This e-newsletter for volunteers highlights a few of the hundreds of volunteer opportunities that are available in Mississauga, Brampton, and Caledon, and provides helpful tips and articles on how you can get involved in your community.

In this issue:
 Question of the Month: Why do you volunteer? Tweet to us at @VolunteerMBC #shareVMBC


 
Profile Tip: Attaching a resume to your profile helps express your skills, talents, and interest to an organization.

MP Sonia Sidhu visits Volunteer MBC to congratulate their Summer Student Program

by Aarthishri Dasu Janardhanan, Marketing Volunteer

 
Sonia Sidhu Visit
Volunteer MBC takes pride in being one of the organizations that participated in the federal government’s “Canada Summer Jobs Program” and provided opportunities for the summer students to develop important transferable skills.

The platform was a great opportunity for the students to engage in leadership roles and develop their team-building, interpersonal and communication skills. The relationship was mutually beneficial as through the engagement, Volunteer MBC was able to engage a wider audience of both secondary as well as post-secondary youth. The students were able to infuse a unique perspective to Volunteer MBC’s approach and helped in enriching the organization with their creativity.

The work done was greatly appreciated by Sonia Sidhu, Member of Parliament for Brampton South who paid a visit to Volunteer MBC towards the end of the program. The MP interacted with the staff and the students at Volunteer MBC and was impressed with Volunteer MBC’s strategy of engaging the students. MP Sonia Sidhu said, “I would like to congratulate the students for their valuable contribution to the community and Volunteer MBC, this goes a long way in building the Peel community”.
 
Rameen Tariq was one of the students who benefited from the summer student program. A student of Schulich School of Business, Rameen, believed that the people she met during her summer term ensured that she was facilitated with the right amount of tools to succeed. The opportunities at Volunteer MBC allowed Rameen to gain extensive exposure to the not-for-profit industry, at the same time, led her to develop concrete connections with renowned educational institutions such as University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). “They not only treated me like a part of their family, but went the extra mile to mentor, guide and advice me in the best possible ways. The time I spent as a summer intern in Volunteer MBC provided me with remarkable opportunities to succeed and equipped me with a multitude of tangible skills that can aid my personal development in the future”, said Rameen.

Other students like Rameen said that, at the end of their term at Volunteer MBC, the experience had led them to be more confident about their leadership and communication skills, and helped them to understand the importance of teamwork and collaboration.

While thanking MP Sonia Sidhu for paying a visit to Volunteer MBC office and encouraging the students, Volunteer MBC’s Executive Director, Carine Strong, also praised the team and students for their efforts.  She said, “Youth is a very important part of our society, Dalai Lama once said that when educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts. I think this holds true for our community and we must instill these values in our youth for a better tomorrow”.

Consider becoming a volunteer NOW to gain valuable experience and have a competitive advantage when preparing summer job applications in 2017! Follow @VolunteerMBC on Twitter to stay updated and learn about various volunteering opportunities available with us. You can even create a profile and then look out for your favorite opportunity!
 
Celebrating National Seniors Day
by Faisal A. Ikram, Coordinator, Marketing & Communications

Recent research found that 1.8 million Canadian seniors volunteer because they want to give back and make an impact on their community. Additionally, researchers also found out that by volunteering, seniors are getting much more than expected - improved health and well being, compared to those who don’t volunteer.

A study conducted by Harvard has suggested that people who volunteer spend 38% less time in hospitals. Similar studies have
also pointed out that volunteers are far more likely to enjoy these benefits when the volunteer organization gave them adequate training, ongoing support, and greater flexibility in choosing activities and schedules.
 
Volunteer MBC, the local volunteer centre is a great platform
for seniors to make a huge difference by sharing their knowledge and experience through meaningful volunteer opportunities. The centre offers referral/matching service for volunteer placements through an in-person consultation at one of the two centres in Caledon – on the 1st Friday of each month at Margaret Dunn Valleywood Branch and on the 3rd Friday of each month at Albion Bolton Branch of Caledon Public Library. Volunteers can also get in touch through Volunteer MBC’s on-line volunteer opportunity database, which is available 24/7.

With dementia prevalence projected to double over 20 years, from over 30 million people worldwide today to more than 65 million people in 2030, the value of volunteering and training provided by organizations like Volunteer MBC can be a great preventative boon to tackle the challenges that come with age.

10% of Peel’s population consists of seniors (65 plus). They are often highly skilled and want to add meaning to their lives during retirement. This presents a significant opportunity to increase meaningful and valuable volunteerism. Volunteer MBC has several programs specifically designed for seniors. For example, the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP) has much to offer to the community. The goal of the RSVP program is to recruit and train Seniors, manually match Seniors to meaningful volunteer positions based on their interest and skill sets, and support as well as train Seniors and Community Service Organizations during their volunteer placement.

Feedback from volunteer engagement professionals at Volunteer MBC’s close to 200 member organizations indicates that older adults bring tremendous value to their organizations and the clients/community they serve because of the professional skills and life experiences they bring.
 
As we celebrate National Seniors Day on October 1, it is important to recognize the contribution of seniors to building our communities through volunteering. As the local volunteer centre Volunteer MBC has certainly created and continues to create a platform for older adults to contribute to the well being of their community by helping others while helping themselves.

If you're an older adult and consider volunteering as a way to keep yourself and the community healthy, please remember to visit Volunteer MBC's Senior Volunteer Fair either in Brampton or Caledon later this month! 

Philip Manzano`s Volunteer Story


Philip Manzano, Community Affairs Manager, Microsoft Canada, shares his experience as a young volunteer at Volunteer MBC. He believes volunteering hads helped him to accomplish many milestones. Watch him as he shares his volunteer story with us: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPx7WwEuXyk

For more inspiring volunteer stories, check our website: 

http://volunteermbc.org/vprofile-listing

Have you volunteered previously or are you currently volunteering?
How has volunteering impacted your life? We'd love to hear about it! Stories are published in our Volunteer Spotlight on a monthly basis. If you would like to build your portfolio, inspire others, and gain exposure in your community, click the button below!
 
I'd like to submit a volunteer story!
 
Ask Volunteer MBC
  1. What are the benefits of volunteering as a student?
    Volunteering gives you the opportunity to make new friends. It helps you in improving the social skills and provides a shortcut to your personal and professional goals. You can volunteer in a field that you’ve always been interested in or try out various opportunities and discover new interests. You can give back to the society and in turn learn various transferable job skills which will help your career in the future.
  2. How is volunteering different from internships/co-op?
    Volunteering (most common in non-profit organizations) is unpaid role that contributes to addressing an identified need in your community while gaining valuable skills and exploring various interests. They do-not replace the role of a paid staff member. Internship (most common in corporate world), on the other hand, is an unpaid/paid opportunity for an individual to gain training in a specific field.A co-operative (co-op) placement is an opportunity provided to students to fulfill their credit towards their diploma/certificate/degree.
     
  3. How can volunteering help my career? 
    Volunteering is a great way to enhance your current skills in many ways and also develop new ones by exploring various opportunities. It is the best way to gain experience as you consider a career change. Not only does it look good on your resume, but research confirms that a job candidate with volunteering experience gets more consideration when employers recruit. You can also expand your professional network and get a good reference.
  4. Does volunteering help me grow personally? 
    Yes, it does! You can expand your personal network by meeting a diverse range of people and can also have fun, relax and be energized by finding new interests and hobbies which will in turn help give good work-life balance and make you more confident. The sense of belonging and contributing you receive from volunteering will boost your self-esteem and sense of value.
  5. As a senior, how is volunteering great for me?
    Volunteering gives you a chance to get connected, enlarge your social network and support system. It creates a positive effect on your physical, mental and psychological wellness by keeping your brain and body active. You can share your knowledge and career experience and sometimes, few life lessons with young volunteers. Perhaps most importantly, it can lower your stress levels and increase your happiness. 
                                                            
Featured Volunteer Opportunities: 

Want to know which organizations are in need of volunteers immediately? Here are a few volunteer opportunities that might interest you:

Volunteer Opportunities in Brampton: 

- Camera Operations Volunteer, with Brampton Beast Hockey Club: http://bit.ly/2dh14N7

- Volunteer Run Director, Fundraising, with Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation: http://bit.ly/2dGVRAq

- Fund Development Volunteer, with Volunteer MBC: http://bit.ly/2doLkFO

Volunteer Opportunities in Mississauga: 

- Marketing Committee Memeber, with The Riverwood Conservancy: http://bit.ly/2doLA7Q

- Board Member At Large, with Animal Aid Foundation: http://bit.ly/2cEhcdv

- Grandpals Team Volunteer, with The Story Garden: http://bit.ly/2dh34om

Volunteer Opportunities in Caledon:

- Marketing Director, with Abbeyfield Caledon: http://bit.ly/2dcGjU4

- Volunteer Language Instructor, with Caledon Community Services, Volunteer Resources: http://bit.ly/2dnuZF1

- Piano Teacher, with The Exchange Collaborative: http://bit.ly/2ddGPiL
Upcoming Workshops/Events:

Would you like to volunteer or participate in any events or workshops this month? Here are a few of the upcoming ones that might interest you.
 
How to engage students at UTM: Free Lunch and Learn
October 5, 2016 | 12 pm to 1 pm 
http://volunteermbc.org/node/592
 
Board Governance Series (First in a series of Four):
Understanding Budgets and Financial Reports
October 19, 2016 | 6 pm to 9 pm
http://www.volunteermbc.org/node/598
 
Volunteering for Seniors
October 18, 2016 | 9.30 am to 12 pm - Brampton
http://volunteermbc.org/node/590
October 25, 2016 | 9.30 am to 12 pm - Caledon
http://volunteermbc.org/node/591

To register and know more about the workshops or events, click the links below them.
Volunteer Experience Survey 2016
As a valued client of Volunteer MBC who has used our services to get connected to a meaningful volunteer role at one of our member organizations, your feedback is vital in helping us improve the services we provide to the community simply by sharing your volunteering experience. We also want to demonstrate the positive impact your volunteering has on the community and yourself.
 
Please note that the survey won't take more than 15 mins and the questions marked with red asterisk are mandatory.

Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VolunteerExperience2016
Survey deadline: Sunday, October 9, 2016 at 12:00 Midnight.

To show our sincere appreciation, upon successful completion of the full survey, you will be entered into a prize draw for a chance to be the lucky winner of a $200 gift card of your choice. 
The prize draw will be held during November, 2016!

If you need any assistance completing this survey or have any questions, please feel free to call our centre at 905.238.2622.
 
 

 
 
Copyright © 2016 Volunteer MBC, All rights reserved.



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newsletter@volunteermbc.org


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Locations:
Volunteer MBC - Brampton 
(Main Location)
c/o Community Door Brampton
7700 Hurontario Street, Unit 601
Brampton, ON  L6Y 4M3

Volunteer MBC - Mississauga 
c/o Family Services of Peel
151 City Centre Drive, Unit 501
Mississauga, ON  L5B 1M7

Volunteer MBC - Caledon 
(Satellite Locations)

1st Friday of each month:
c/o Margaret Dunn Valleywood Branch
of Caledon Public Library
20 Snelcrest Drive
Caledon, ON L7C 1B5

3rd Friday of each month:
c/o Albion Bolton Branch
of Caledon Public Library
150 Queen Street South, Upper Level
Bolton, ON L7E 1E3