Blogs

September 2024

“Changing of the Seasons”

September always seems bittersweet to me – I so love summer, when our long days and warm weather mean there are endless fun things to do, but I also get caught up in the back to school energy that means September feels so full of promise.

Strathcona County volunteers were busy this summer!   We just have to look at Our We Care We Share program to see that – from June to August, we loaned equipment for over 50 community events that were supported by volunteers!  Some were big events, like our wildly popular Highland Gathering, Ravenwood Music Festival and Canada Day celebrations, and some were busy Farmers’ Markets that are every bit as much about gathering as they are about buying the wonderful things produced in our community.  There were tournaments, celebrations of culture, fundraisers, school picnics and Community League gatherings.  And let’s not forget the Block Parties – 18 community members borrowed equipment like popcorn machines, button makers, yard games and our fun new slush machine, so they could meet, spend time with and build relationships with their neighbours.  How amazing is that?

Our days may be getting shorter – but the enthusiasm of our community’s volunteers is going strong.  There are some amazing events coming up – and we are in awe of the fact that for the first weekend of September alone, we have nine community events borrowing from our We Care We Share program!  On the weekend of September 7-8, you can see volunteers in action at the Strathcona County Garden Club’s annual plant sale, the Strathcona Food Bank’s 40th anniversary celebration, the Gilmore Park Community League’s movie night, and at least five block parties.  

The volunteer spirit continues with the first concert of the Ravenwood Music Club’s new season on September 13th, the Terry Fox Run on September 15th and on September 22nd, there is so much to choose from – the Sherwood Care Grand Parade, the Sherwood Heights Community Day, the Colchester Community League Fall Pancake Breakfast, and the Ardrossan Rec and Ag Society’s Great Rural Race.  The Sherwood Park Crusaders new season starts on September 20th, with opportunities to volunteer at their home games, and youth sports organizations like Phoenix FC are looking for volunteer coaches for their upcoming season. September gives us so many examples of the wonderful things volunteers do to build community in Strathcona County!

September will be busy for us at Volunteer Strathcona too. Our first Office Drop-in is on Thursday, September 5th from 2-7pm, we will be at the Sherwood Park Farmer’s Market in Emerald Hills on September 11th with some fun giveaways, and we are hosting a workshop for volunteers who do Social Media for local organizations on September 17th (Link HERE).  

So while I lament the days getting shorter and that bit of chill in the morning air, I plan to enjoy the opportunities to volunteer and to connect with my community this fall!

August 2024

Building Communities in my Neighbourhood

Since I started working at Volunteer Strathcona, the words ‘volunteer’ and ‘community’ have become inseparable in my mind.  So much of what I value in our community would not exist without volunteerism – events, non-profit organizations that provide needed supports, sporting and cultural opportunities, and so much more.

Recently, I have found myself thinking about what we mean by ‘community’ and why community is so important to us.  Often we think of a community as being a group of people who happen to live in the same place or share similar characteristics, but it seems like the importance of community goes beyond that – isn’t it really about feeling connection and belonging.

When I think of those with whom I feel connection and belonging,  I can see that I have many communities in my life:  my family, my friends, other parents I’ve met through my kids’ activities, my work colleagues and those I volunteer with.  

My neighbourhood has unfortunately not been a place where I have felt a strong sense of community.  My grandparents knew almost everyone who lived on their street; they socialized, kept an eye on each other’s kids, and were there for one another.  My parents, on the other hand, knew just some of their neighbours, and I am embarrassed to admit I know very few of mine.  We wave and shovel each other’s sidewalks, but it would be hard to describe my relationship with my neighbours as community.  

Experts might tell us that things like more women being in the workforce and garages attached to our homes explain the lessening of community in our neighbourhoods, but I know there is another reason for me:  I haven’t put in the effort.  People who are active in their Community Leagues, or who join their neighbours for block parties tell me stories of community in their neighbourhoods all the time – so I know it is possible for those who put in the work.

I decided to take a few small steps this summer.  We went out for dinner with a couple who live next door to us – it was a lovely evening, and our driveway chats have been enriched by us knowing one another a little better.  We also installed a Little Free Library in our front yard, and had a grand opening one evening – we thoroughly enjoyed meeting folks who live in our neighbourhood and seeing them introducing themselves to each other over popcorn and frozen lemonade.  Now I get to smile every time I see a new book or a partially empty shelf in the library, because I know it means people around me are connecting with one another in this small way.

I plan to continue my journey of exploring community.  I’ll keep the shelves of our Little Free library tidy, continue thinking and reading about community (currently, I am enjoying Deepening Community by Paul Born), volunteer whenever I can, and look for new ways to seek out and contribute to the communities I want to be a part of.

Do you want to build more community in your life?  Volunteer Strathcona can give you tips on throwing block parties, tell you about Community Leagues in Strathcona County, and help you find volunteer opportunities that will let you connect with others.  Reach out any time!

July 2024

Caught the Volunteer Bug: Fostering Community Spirit from Childhood

My son, Myles, started his volunteer career when he was about three years old.  He and I signed up to be ‘friendly visitors’ at Capital Care Strathcona, where we visited and played games with residents, and helped with little tasks like watering plants.  It was important to me to introduce him to volunteering even as a young child, just as my Grandma did for me; I have lots of happy memories of helping her with her volunteer ‘job’ when I stayed with her during summer holidays.  I knew from my own experience that learning about volunteering as a child can instill a lifelong passion for volunteerism.  And Myles, who is now 17, has been bitten by the volunteer bug as well – this year alone, I have been able to proudly watch him give back to his community by volunteering at the Night to Shine, the Volunteer Fair and the Canada Day Festival, and doing an admirable job of managing his men’s league soccer team.

To get kids thinking about how they can connect to their community through volunteerism, we asked them how they could help others at our booth at the Canada Day Festival this year.  We were impressed with the ideas kids came up with to help out at home (lots of kids plan to clean their rooms or do the dishes – parents & caregivers, please let us know how that works out ?), or the nice things they said they could do to help a friend, neighbour or teacher.

It can be hard for community organizations to create volunteer opportunities that are appropriate for kids, but fortunately, there are lots of things kids can do informally to help others.  They can do things like:

  • Bring in a neighbour’s garbage bins
  • Help out a family member with chores
  • Ask a new kid in the neighbourhood or at school to play
  • Help to shovel sidewalks in winter
  • Cheer up a friend who is having a tough time
  • Donate toys they don’t use anymore to a local thrift store
  • Pick up trash when out for a walk
  • Collect bottles or have a lemonade stand to raise money for a community organization

If we let our kids get bitten by the volunteer bug, it helps them grow into adults who think of the needs of others, give back and build relationships so we can grow strong, connected communities.

If you want more ideas about volunteer opportunities for kids, youth and adults, please contact us at Volunteer Strathcona!

April 2024

Service Clubs are Key Community Builders in Strathcona County

“Service club, an organization … that promotes fellowship amongst its members

 and is devoted to the principle of volunteer community service”  – Encyclopedia Britannica     

Volunteerism and fellowship in the community – what could be better than that?

We are fortunate to have a variety of service clubs in Strathcona County doing just that – connecting people in community by volunteering and fundraising for local organizations and international initiatives. 

I recently had a chance to meet with Karina, who is a member of the Rotaract Club of Strathcona County.  Rotaract is a service club for people ages 18-30 (though Karina assured me that folks over 30 who want to be involved are welcomed too!).  I was inspired to hear about this group of younger adults who are passionate about doing good in the world – and also about having fun along the way.    In 2023, they visited Belize to help build a playground they helped fundraise for, and they support local organizations with projects like hygiene item drives for the Saffron Centre and A Safe Place.  On July 7th, 2024, the are hosting a Beer Mile fundraiser – if drinking beer while running around a track sounds like fun to you, you won’t want to miss out!  

Rotaract is an arm of Rotary – the Rotary Club of Sherwood Park started in 1990 and has been going strong ever since.  They describe themselves as a diverse group of business and professional leaders who focus on leadership development, good citizenship, friendship, professional and international awareness.  Their fundraising and volunteerism activities touch a wide variety of initiatives, including community and international service, and service to youth; they have helped organizations like the Robin Hood Association, Linking Generations and the Art Society of Strathcona County.  They are proud to be a partner for Sherwood Park Against Hunger, a local event to pack meals for well deserved people in Edmonton as well as Northern Canadian and international communities – the next event is coming up on Saturday, April 20th, and is a family-friendly volunteer opportunity.  (I have volunteered at this event twice in the past – it was a wonderful opportunity to volunteer with my son, and have good discussions with him about how food insecurity affects people around the world).

ACT/UCT clubs interestingly started out as fraternal organizations for traveling salesmen – but they have grown from there.  The Sherwood Park ACT/UCT Club describes itself as “people helping people since 1973” – and they definitely have helped a lot of people with their volunteerism and the more than $500,000 they have raised for local organizations, such as the Be Brave Ranch, A Safe Place, and many others over the past 50 years. They are gearing up for two big events in May this year – their annual golf tournament on May 24th and the regional ACT/UCT convention they are helping to host on May 25th. 

The Sherwood Park Elks celebrated 60 years in Strathcona County in 2023  They are currently busy with their Gowns For Grads and Suits for Guys initiative, which ensures Grade 12 students who may be facing financial stress can get gowns, suits, etc, to celebrate their graduation in style (contact them to find out how you can donate dresses and suits to help out).  The Elks are big supporters of the Boys and Girls Club of Strathcona County and other youth initiatives.  

Strathcona County also has branches of:

  •  the Canadian Progress Club , who are a service club found only in Canada, with a  motto of  “It’s Great to Be a Canadian” – they are happy to support local organizations with their fundraising and volunteer efforts
  • the Knights of Columbus, a service club of the Catholic Church, with the local club based out of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish

Our Strathcona County service clubs band together for some of their fundraising efforts, like a BBQ tent at the Highland Gathering and the annual Oktoberfest gathering, and most contribute to annual scholarships for local students.

Join us at the Volunteer Fair on April 16th to learn more about Strathcona County’s amazing service clubs, and the many other volunteer opportunities that allow community members to get involved to make a difference!

March 2024

Volunteers Growing Community

You probably won’t be surprised to hear that the two most often heard words heard at Volunteer Strathcona are ‘volunteer’ and ‘community’ – in fact, you may have noticed that our new slogan is “Connecting Community & Volunteers”!

That’s because we believe volunteerism is all about growing community.   When we volunteer, we often spend time with others, who may be friends or people we have just met – and we also help build inclusiveness, get things done to benefit our community, and make our communities places we all want to live in.

Community Leagues are one of the best examples of volunteers growing community, because they are made up of people who care so much about their neighbours and neighbourhood that they passionately volunteer their time to organize events and activities that help people connect with one another.  

We are fortunate to have many Community Leagues growing community in Strathcona County!

I was happy to be invited to the February meeting of the Colchester Community League, to learn more about how volunteers support their events. The Colchester Community League has been around since 1968, with the Colchester Hall providing a community gathering place.   There is a committed group of community members who have been coming together for years to plan community events.  At the meeting I attended, they had several new attendees – and the Community League went out of their way to welcome them and let them know how they can become more involved in their community (without any pressure).  The don’t define community by geography and welcome folks from both inside and outside of the Colchester area – anyone who want to be involved is welcome, and many of their events are free or low cost so everyone can join in.  Their upcoming St. Patrick’s Day Family Event  (Sunday, March 17th from 11am-2pm) sounds like a lot of fun, with face painting, a treasure hunt, cookie decorating and more.

The Gilmore Park Community League in Sherwood Park has been growing community with social and recreational opportunities since 2011 – they were instrumental in building Gilmore Park (complete with a Little Little Library and garden boxes), and they have made their neighbourhood a place bustling with activities, including ‘Community Dates’ held throughout the month of February.  

In 2021, a group of neighbours revived the Sherwood Heights Community League of long ago.  In their own words:

The Community League is more than just a group of volunteers doing fun things; it’s a new beginning in a world where connection is so highly sought after, diversity is embraced, differences are accepted, and community is welcomed. The Community League hopes to enrich our neighborhood, as well as our lives. We thank all our volunteers for their hard work and determination; they are the glue that holds our community together.

I can’t imagine a better way to describe what Community Leagues do to grow community!

The Sherwood Heights Community League’s next big event is their Winter Carnival on March 23rd from 10:30-3pm – sounds like an event not to be missed, complete with horse drawn wagon rides!

Throughout Strathcona County,you can find groups of volunteers growing community through Community Leagues and Agricultural Societies.  

If there isn’t a Community League or Ag Society where you live, maybe you want to find other ways to start growing community in your neighbourhood?  Events like block parties are a great way to get to know your neighbours – and you don’t have to do it alone:

  • Strathcona County has developed resources to help you plan your neighbourhood block party
  • Strathcona County also offers Community Connection Grants to support block parties and small neighbourhood gatherings – the 2024 grant applications will be open from March 28th to May1st, so now is the perfect time to start planning
  • Volunteer Strathcona offers free equipment loans through our We Care We Share program (including lawn games!) and we can print out flyers, posters, etc. for you free of charge.  
  • Strathcona County Library has sports kits for loan as well – all you need is a library card

Whether you are throwing a block party, attending an event in your neighbourhood, getting involved with your Community League or doing something else that helps you connect with your neighbours – let us know!  Volunteer Strathcona would love to tell your story about volunteers growing community in your neighborhood!

February 2024

Board Members are Key Volunteers

When we think of volunteers at community organizations, we tend to think of those who roll up their sleeves and pitch in on program delivery, events and fundraisers – like the folks who pack hampers at the Strathcona Food Bank, mentor youth through Big Brothers Big Sisters, show us to our seat at Festival Place, coach kids’ sports, keep the grounds clean at the Ravenwood Music Festival, play music for the residents at Sherwood Care, and drive to Camrose to work a casino – all essential volunteer roles!   But we tend to forget about the less visible forms of volunteering – including that Board Members are volunteers too.

What does being a volunteer Board Member involve?  That depends on the organization.  Some Boards are at the helm of the day to day operations of the organization (often referred to as ‘operational’ or ‘working’ Boards) – these are usually organizations with no paid staff, where Board members end up with double duty – trying to govern the organization but spending most of their time running it.  The Boards I have been on have had one or more paid staff in a leadership role, so the Board was mostly focused on governance – we kept our focus on overseeing that the organization’s Mission, Vision and Values were being followed, and determining the future direction of the organization.  Most Boards likely fall somewhere in between – some operational work, some governance, and a whole lot of volunteering!

No matter what kind of Board you are on, Board Members are volunteers, with the same fundamental duties: the duties of care, loyalty and obedience, which essentially mean you pay attention to what’s going on in the organization, prepare for and attend Board meetings, make decisions that are in the best interests of the organization at all times, and ensure the organization is following it’s mission, bylaws and applicable legislation.  You need to be enthusiastic about the organization’s mission, willing and able to commit to the role, and open to working collaboratively.   You want to be clear about what is governance and what is operations; if you are on a Board that does both, you need to ensure you know which hat you have on at any time – and work with the organization to recruit other volunteers to help with other volunteer tasks whenever possible, so that you and the rest of your Board can focus more of your time and energy on governance.  As a Board Member, I got to be a volunteer with a lot of influence over the direction of the organizations I served – a big responsibility, but it was also some of the most fulfilling volunteer work I’ve done.

  • Are you on a Board?   Whether you are new to Board membership or can’t remember when you haven’t been sitting on a Board, you undoubtedly have questions about how to strengthen your Board and better understand your role on it.  

Check out the next instalment in the FREE Across the Board workshops in Strathcona County  – “Governance and Operations – Building Pathways to Successful Volunteers”.  There are three dates/locations to choose from (February 15 from1-4pm in Josephburg, February 27 from 6-9pm in Sherwood Park, and March 9 from 9am to 12pm in Ardrossan) – you can choose whichever workshop fits your schedule. 

And you won’t want to miss the Bylaw Workshop on March 8th in Sherwood Park – I mean, who doesn’t love a chance to take a deep dive into bylaws?  Whether you are a bylaw geek like me, or wish you never had to look at them, there is no denying that bylaws are a key component of governance – and this workshop promises to make it easy for all of us to start work on revising bylaws to make sure they work for the culture of our organizations.

For more information on these workshops, and to register, visit here: link

  • Interested in joining a Board?  Contact me at Volunteer Strathcona – I’d be happy to answer your questions and let you know about organizations that are currently recruiting in Strathcona County. 
  • Is your community organization currently looking for Board members?  Let us know at Volunteer Strathcona and we’ll add you to our list so we can let folks in our community know what you are looking for.