Volunteer MBC E-newsletter for Volunteers

Volunteers
Are Special!

Dear <<First Name>>,

Did you know that you are special? Yes, YOU!

While it’s essential for volunteers to realize the difference and impact that their contributions are making on the lives of others and on your community, were you aware that there is a secret sauce of volunteering? What you do for yourself while helping others is just as important.

As a volunteer, if you are getting something personal out of your contribution – for example, people who are learning and growing and making friends and coming to feel better about themselves – are the people who are likely to continue volunteering the longest. Did you know that those who start out saying that volunteering is all about helping others – if they volunteer at all – are less likely to continue helping others over the long term?

“If you want to touch the past, touch a rock.
If you want to touch the present, touch a flower.
If you want to touch the future, touch a life.”
~Author Unknown~

In this issue we will highlight one of the many returns on your investment as a volunteer - how it can help you find a job. Enjoy!

Volunteer, as Part of My Job Search? Are you sure?

Written by: Sharon Clark-Koufis, Volunteer MBC's Marketing & Communications Manager

The short answer is yes. Not only can volunteering help you feel as if you are contributing to your community and give you a break from your normal routine, it can also provide you with opportunities to expand your job search in ways that you may have never realized. It can also provide you with the opportunity to test-drive a new career.

Volunteering is a powerful networking tool. Think about the people with whom you might come into contact while volunteering. As you become established in the organization you are developing relationships with staff, their clients, other volunteers; people who may know the people that you want or need to know. Did you know that most employment comes not through advertised postings, it comes through networks? Employers hire people they know or their employees know, and so it is important to expand your network to the greatest degree possible. Volunteering can do just that.

Volunteering is also a great way to gain experience. You may think that organizations utilize volunteers for only the most mundane work. This is far from the actual reality. Community service organizations can greatly benefit from the skills, expertise and talents that volunteers bring.

Volunteering can also fill those dreaded gaps in your work history on your resume. Perhaps you have been out of work for some time due to illness, childcare, or other personal issues. Newcomers may experience gaps in their work history as they settle in to their new community. Those gaps could make the difference between your resume being considered for the next step or ending up at the bottom of the pile. Volunteering can give you recent experience and recent references that you might not otherwise be able to acquire. Your success in your volunteer role can lead to success in paid employment along the way.

Here’s some helpful tips on how to get started:

Determine your goals for volunteering – what is it that you wish to gain from the experience
Start researching organizations where you feel you would like to volunteer and where you think your skills might be utilized.
Enlist the help of others – family and friends who may already be volunteering to share their experience with you.

Volunteer MBC is here to help you out. As your local volunteer centre, we can assist you in finding a meaningful volunteer opportunity either through our on-line volunteer opportunities database, or by arranging a one-on-one consultation at one of our three convenient locations (Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon).

For more information about Volunteer MBC, or to search for a volunteer role, visit us on-line at www.volunteermbc.org, or give us a call at 905.238.2622.

Begin your volunteer experience and see the results in your job search and your life!

Source: The above article and information has been derived from Pathways Skill Development

Step Up Youth Volunteer Ambassador Program – Coming to a School Near You!

Volunteer MBC is pleased to announce the launch of the Step Up Youth Volunteer Ambassador Program. High schools throughout the Region of Peel have been invited to be part of this year-long initiative that puts YOUth in the driver’s seat of civic engagement.

Students have been chosen to represent the voice of their peers within their respective schools and to be engaged in volunteer opportunities. Please find below a list of the schools who have a Youth Volunteer Ambassador:

Brampton:

Cardinal Leger Secondary School
Fletchers Meadow Secondary School
Heart Lake Secondary School
Louise Arbour Secondary School
North Park
Sandalwood Heights Secondary School

Mississauga:

Clarkson Secondary School
Glenforest Secondary School
Iona Catholic Secondary School
John Fraser Secondary School
St. Francis Xavier
St. Martin Secondary School
Stephen Lewis Secondary School
The Woodlands
West Credit Secondary School

Information is currently being sent out to all of the above schools to provide an introduction to their Youth Volunteer Ambassador; further details will be available shortly for the students at these schools to find out more about this program and how they can get involved.

Ambassadors will be taking a lead in organizing their own events, meet community service providers and work with other students from across Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon – all with the support and resources of Volunteer MBC. Ambassadors will be the go-to leaders for anything and everything students want to find out about volunteering. They will be the drivers contributing to youth volunteerism, one student at a time.

Schools will also benefit from having an engaged student body and a direct link to their local volunteer centre, which offers a comprehensive on-line volunteer opportunities database for their entire school to access and use to find meaningful volunteer roles in our community.

If you are interested in joining us as an Ambassador, contact us at 905.238.2622 or by email at youth@volunteermbc.org.

VMBC At-A-Glance

Monday, November 5, 2012
International Volunteer Managers Day
Thank a Volunteer Engagement Professional today!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012
International Volunteer Day
If you’re a volunteer…give yourself a hug. You are special!

December 2012
Volunteer MBC Holiday Open House
More details to come!

Creating a profile in our on-line volunteer opportunities database is the best way to be kept up-to-date on volunteer roles. Profiles are completely secure and allow you to save your areas of interest, your contact information, and it creates a list of the referrals that you’ve submitted.

Having a profile makes using our database that much easier. To create your personal profile, go to: http://bit.ly/vmbcCreateProfile

Do you have a cause or organization that you are interested in volunteering with? Volunteer MBC has over 150 community service organizations posting their volunteer needs on-line. Check out this link below for an alphabetical list of great organizations to volunteer and give your time to: http://bit.ly/vmbcVolOppsAll

Volunteer MBC is on-line 24/7!

Do you want to keep up-to-date on what is going on at your local volunteer centre? We're on-line at:

…become a fan of Volunteer MBC at:
www.facebook.com/LikeVolunteerMBC

…follow Volunteer MBC at:
www.twitter.com/VolunteerMBC

…check out Volunteer MBC’s photostream at:
www.flickr.com/photos/volunteermbc/sets

…subscribe to Volunteer MBC at:
www.youtube.com/volunteermbc