For those that volunteer their time with no expectation of payment, last week was a time for the community to say ‘thank you’ for everything they do.
As part of National Volunteer Week from April 7 to 13, the Bonnyville Volunteer Appreciation Committee hosted two events to honour residents who give back.
Diahann Polege-Aulotte, community programmer for the Bonnyville and District FCSS, noted they wanted to highlight two groups who volunteer the most.
”The seniors do the majority of it, and the youth are required by their schools, it’s part of their curriculum, to volunteer,” she said.
On Thursday, April 11, they invited seniors to an afternoon snack at the Bonnyville Senior’s Drop-In Centre.
During the event, local volunteers gave speeches about why they give back, while organizations highlighted the importance of people in the community stepping forward.
One of the people to share was Sonja Stryski, who started volunteering back when her children were young and never stopped.
”To me, it’s just what you do. You’re helping others, and you’re helping yourself. It’s being part of the community, and if you’re not part of the community, you might as well stay in a little hole and stay home,” she said during her speech.
While she doesn’t do it for the recognition, Stryski enjoyed the afternoon.
”I know there are more volunteers in town than who actually showed up, but that’s okay. A lot of people involved here don’t care for any accolades, they just go and do,” she said.
Local organizations rely heavily on the community.
”The Bonnyville Friendship Centre has been delivering programming for more than 40 years,” explained Pauline Mawer, assistant executive assistant for the centre. “We’ve been running the food bank for almost 20 years, and we couldn’t operate this program without our valuable volunteers.”
According to Mawer, there would need to be 10 of her to do the work that’s accomplished by their volunteers.
”I believe that it goes to show just how wonderful our community is when it comes time asking for volunteers. There has been times I’ve had to turn people away because there’s many amazing people willing to help, and I think that’s a pretty good issue to have.”
Coun. Elisa Brosseau, who sits on the FCSS board, told the group she believes it’s important to celebrate the volunteers within the community.
”Without our volunteer groups, there’s many things that a community can’t participate in or do, so a great big ‘thank you’ to all of you who take time from your day, from your families, and your loved ones to help out and volunteer,” she expressed.
On Tuesday, April 9, the committee also highlighted students at Notre Dame High School (NDHS) who rose to the challenge.
”Potentially next year we’ll target more schools to show our appreciation for what they do as up-and-coming volunteers,” noted Polege-Aulotte.
