I’d like to announce that Tina Lowery of the BC Cancer Agency has stepped in to share the Regional Representative position with me for our local Administrators of Volunteer Resources British Columbia (AVRBC) chapter. Tina replaces Nancy Martens (more on Nancy below) in this shared position as of this summer, just in time to start off our new meeting year in September. Tina is the Coordinator of Volunteer Services at the Vancouver Island Cancer Centre and, in her words, “works with and in support of the most amazing, talented and dedicated volunteers.”
If you haven’t heard of AVRBC before, please let me tell you about this wonderful organization. AVRBC is BC’s provincial network for people who are involved in the administration/coordination/management of volunteers. (Yes, this actually is a profession in our sector!) All over British Columbia groups of professionals are meeting regularly to talk about how to engage volunteers effectively in our organizations, and in our South Island region we have a particularly amazing chapter.
Our members in South Island meet from September to June on the third Thursday of every month over the noon hour. Sometimes we bring in a guest speaker, sometimes we participate in round-table sharing sessions amongst members, and sometimes we teach each other things that we are doing in our own organizations. Whatever we’re up to each month, it is sure to be an engaging, fun and friendly atmosphere. I have been proud to be co-leading this group here in Victoria for the last five years.
As mentioned above, Tina replaces Nancy Martens in the co-Regional Rep position. Nancy works at the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health and has contributed many wonderful years of service to AVRBC in this position. Her energy and positive attitude have always made our meetings a success. Even though Nancy will no longer be a Regional Representative, we are lucky that she will continue to grace us with her presence at meetings by remaining as a member of AVRBC.
Nancy, thank you for all you’ve done in this leadership role! And Tina, I look forward to working with you to create a shared vision for what this chapter will accomplish from this point forward. I know many more good times are ahead!