A great big thank you to everyone who has volunteered with us this 2019/20 year. We had a great group of people who have taken on so many tasks: from way back when at the Federal Candidates Meeting right up to this summer’s Garden Contest. Heck, we even had kids help us with that!
The many tasks included helping at our first Annual General Meeting last fall, preparing and distributing packs of signs and documents, taping signage to utility posts (and removing them in a timely manner), distributing 3,500+ door hangers (and re-moving them in a timely manner as well! – special thanks for that to keep the neighbourhood clean and safe!), going door-to-door helping to increase awareness of what BPRO is all about, being our contact with government and developers, getting our communications channels going, taking photographs, baking for frontline health care workers, compiling all the information for our special community issue, Shop Locally, during COVID-19 … and the list goes on. What matters most to us is that we are nothing without the community involvement of all of you – so a great big thank you! Many hands make light work and we are grateful to you all.
You know who you are but so we can recognize you specifically, thank you to:
Julie Bondar-Bushra , Carolyn Clark , Siobhan Farrer , Karon Foster, Mark Garscadden, Judy Goddard, Janet Hurd, Steve, Claire & Emily Ilkiw, Anne Jacot, Robert Kennedy, Ava Kitz, Kathy McConnachie, Jocelyne Mongrain, Michelle Moore, Elisabetta Pisa, Zain Bari Rizvi, Susan Sanderson, Zack Sayevich, Jane Seed, Kara Spedding, Kathy Stares, Joelle Stromberg, John White and several others who chose to remain anonymous.
Why Do People Volunteer?
Volunteering in some way is something that many people enjoy. It can bring all kinds of benefits, from the mental and physical health benefits of moving around, the satisfaction of getting something done, to the positive feelings that come from being of service and connecting to the community. A study quoted by the Stanford Centre for Longevity asked people who do not volunteer why they chose not to. 50% said it was because of lack of time. Another reason for 25% of those was that no one had ever asked. So guess what? Most of us have a little more time these days! And we’re asking!
We’ve had several of our volunteers provide feedback about helping us, this recent one stands out:
This small easy job for BPRO has been such a good way to get to know neighbours, and for the first time in the 20- some years we’ve lived here, I’m feeling a part of this neighbourhood! Thanks for asking me to help out.
Please get in touch with us at info@bprotoronto.ca and let us know if you’re interested in events, communication, writing, distribution, planning, organizing or whatever. If you’d like to step up and feel a bigger part of your community, we’d love to help you do that!