Have you ever had one of  ”those days” ? I think that we all have. Just one of those days when you feel “off”. I can remember, at the time of losing my mother, having quite a few of those days. I can remember sitting on the couch, just doing nothing and suddenly I would realise that hours had gone by. Luckily, with the encouragement of family and friend and with my own knowledge of mental health issues, I was able to address what turned out to be a depression, and move forward.

Many people  are not aware  that sometimes “those days” can be the beginning of something that ...

[Continue reading Not Myself Today]

It’s National Volunteer Recognition Week (April 15 – 21, 2012) and our chance to let those special volunteers in our lives know that “We Appreciate You!”.  All across Canada, all week long, volunteers will be celebrated and thanked in a myriad of different ways.

This year, Volunteer Victoria has partnered with Wells Gray Tours and CHEK TV to celebrate our local volunteers through the “We Appreciate You!” contest. Until April 20th you can nominate someone in our community for the great work they are doing. The ...

[Continue reading National Volunteer Recognition Week “We Appreciate You!” Contest]

We are very pleased to announce that our valued colleague, and friend, Leanna Hill recently won The Vancity Youth Award at The Victoria Leadership Awards.

This award recognizes a young leader between the ages of 20 and 30 who demonstrates community leadership in one or more of the following areas:

People: Building wealth with those who need it most; Planet: Sustaining our environment; Places: Promoting community growth and change.

There were so many deserving and inspirational nominees in this category, so we are especially proud of Leanna’s accomplishment!

Volunteer Victoria also wishes to acknowledge and thank all of the other incredible nominees for their outstanding contributions to our ...

[Continue reading Volunteer Victoria’s Leanna Hill Wins Youth Leadership Award]

In August the Ministry of Social Development announced additional funding for the Community Volunteer Supplement Program (CVS). This program encourages people on income and disability assistance to volunteer by providing up to a $100.00 supplement to offset volunteer expenses such as travel or clothing.

An estimated 13,000 disability assistance clients have been on a waitlist – some for up to three years. Some of the folks on the waitlist have been volunteering already and others now have up until October 31st to find an appropriate place to volunteer.

As you can imagine the advisors at Volunteer Victoria have been very busy. We have had an influx ...

[Continue reading Could Your Agency Create A New Volunteer Role?]

Have you heard the scoop on fake tanning? Did you know that the province is currently considering banning the use of tanning beds by minors (under 18)?

Ally & her fellow grads at Lambrick Park Secondary sure know a lot about it. In fact, Ally and her friend Jen lobbied for a tan-free grad as part of a province-wide Canadian Cancer Society campaign – and won with the most grade 12s in the Vancouver Island Region pledging NOT to fake-tan for grad!

You may or may not know about the risks of ...

[Continue reading Lambrick Park students lead the tan-free grad in BC]

This post first appeared in Volunteer Victoria’s E-Link newsletter on July 30, 2010. Sign up for E-Link and keep current with news and information from Volunteer Victoria.

The HR Council for the Nonprofit Sector has recently released their report, Tapping into the Talents of Early Career Employees. This report is based on research undertaken by the Council over the past 2 years (literature search, research, focus groups).   The purpose of the research was to help the sector improve their hiring and ...

[Continue reading Engaging Younger Workers in the Nonprofit Sector]

Executive Director Val Green & Employee Campaign Chair Lori Elder proudly accept the Community Partner Spirit Award on behalf of their staff and volunteers. Photo credit: www.elighphoto.com

Volunteer Victoria's staff from left to right: Val Green, Lori Elder, Bonnie van Volkenburg, Tara Macdonald, Nick Lyons, John Kay. Front left to right: Louise Keith and Lornna Olson. Missing: Beth Cougler Blom and Bob Gilmour.

For over ten years our amazing staff, board and volunteers have come ...

[Continue reading Volunteer Victoria has Spirit – Wins Gold for 10th Year in a Row!]