A to Z Outstanding Alberta Volunteers Volunteer Appreciation

As a collective, Alberta’s volunteers are often the first people to recognize what social, political, economic, cultural, and philosophical issues and needs should be publicly addressed. Volunteers are doers. They are an outward expression of Albertans’ values, they tackle what we believe are important topics, and they help shape the quality of our lives and our communities.

From giving (to date) the largest private land donation in Canadian history, to helping bring hot lunches to poor Albertans, to crusading for social causes, to celebrating and nurturing our dynamic arts communities, to simply holding someone’s hand in crisis — Alberta’s volunteer collective is made up of individuals, with individual stories.

People volunteer for a myriad of reasons. As unique as a fingerprint, the reasons people volunteer are diverse. Generally, most people volunteer as a means to give back to the community and/or they want to make a difference to the betterment of an individual, group, or cause.

Learning how to work on a team, learning transferable people and organizational skills, experiencing successful outcomes, and witnessing the positive difference an individual volunteer can make are just some of the rewards and experiences gained by volunteering.

It’s not uncommon for individual volunteers to wonder if volunteering in areas of personal and/or professional interest is really volunteering. A young student may question if volunteer coaching is volunteering because it’s fun. A full time working professional who volunteers on numerous boards that are related to areas of interest may ask if what he or she does is volunteering. Wholeheartedly, volunteering without expectation of direct financial gain is still volunteering. In fact, individuals who align volunteer endeavours with areas of interest are often lifelong volunteers.