Volunteers, whether acting individually or connected with voluntary organizations, are societal beacons who identify and directly respond to community issues and needs. Volunteers build our communities by freely donating time, energy and sometimes material goods to the betterment of a person, group or cause.

From Native charitable tradition, which consisted of a community's best hunters donating shares from a hunt to their less fortunate members, to pioneer families helping each other raise a barn—spirit of the west volunteerism existed long before the creation of Alberta's provincial borders and formal government.

Since Alberta's inception in 1905, our voluntary sector has continued to profoundly contribute to building our communities. Regardless of specific goals, the common denominator that all voluntary efforts share is the desire to make our environment and our society safe, intrinsically rewarding, and humane.

To acknowledge and celebrate Alberta's volunteers, the Heritage Community Foundation is proud to present a totally unique website and edukit series called Volunteerism in Alberta: 100 years of Celebrating Community.

This exciting interactive website, with support from Wild Rose Foundation, will explore the subject of volunteering in the following sections:

History and Evolution: The history of volunteers and volunteer organizations in Alberta will be recalled here, from the time before Alberta’s creation as a province, to the present day.

Organizations: Learn here about the many volunteer organizations that have contributed to communities across Alberta.

People: Over the years, many remarkable individuals from across Alberta have stepped forward to help build and enhance their communities. Read their stories in this section of the website.

Issues and Challenges: Volunteerism brings with it a unique set of issues and challenges. Explore some of the considerations volunteers and volunteer organizations must face as they pursue their goals.

Directory: Turn here to see the profiles of the volunteer organizations currently serving communities across Alberta.

Volunteerism in Alberta: 100 years of Celebrating Community, a dynamic assemblage of text, images, and audio, will connect people to Alberta's volunteer heritage, identify the magnitude of volunteerism and its contribution to our province, acknowledge and celebrate past and present volunteers, create a public awareness and link to voluntary/non-profit organizations, and act as an educational resource for students and teachers. The Heritage Community Foundation is proud and delighted to be the authoritative content resource developer of such an important legacy gift to all Albertans.