This National Volunteer Week, we are thanking the many caring and compassionate volunteers who have dedicated their time, talent and resources in the fight to end MS. National Volunteer Week is a time to recognize and celebrate the power of volunteerism in our community and thank the thousands of MS Society volunteers who selflessly donate their time and energy throughout the year.
Please find a special message from the MS Society of Canada’s Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, Sylvia Leonard:
Today marks the beginning of National Volunteer Week 2017– a welcomed opportunity to recognize the impact that individuals and groups have in communities across Canada.
Volunteers are the face of the MS Society and make it possible for the Society to expand our services and reach more people affected by MS. Every day, volunteers share their skills and talents with us in all kinds of ways. It is volunteers that provide peer support, lobby the government for policy-change, enable camp programs for children affected by MS, provide research support, set direction and strategy for our programs and major events, bring their enthusiasm to fundraising efforts and make the success of the organization possible. Volunteers are the backbone of what we do and are actively engaged in shaping the future of MS.
Volunteering, Eh? – this year’s theme for National Volunteer Week serves as a springboard for us to explore and promote a broader definition of volunteering. In addition to recognizing our volunteers who support the delivery of vital community programs and services, we’d like to recognize the spontaneous, organic and growing ‘do-it-yourself’ community action movements that take place across the organization. Thousands of Canadians across the country continue to participate in I Challenge MS – an online platform that enables individuals to take a personal challenge in the fight to end MS, whether it be a personal activity, event or group gathering. These individuals or groups are raising awareness and critical funds in new and creative ways. National Volunteer Week is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities; day in and day out, our volunteers do all that and more.
During this National Volunteer Week we will spotlight volunteers from across the organization that continue to leave a unique and lasting impact in their communities. We encourage you to share your story of why you volunteer, thank a volunteer, and join the conversation. At the end of the week we will also be announcing the recipients for the 2017 National Volunteer Awards.
This week is dedicated to celebrating all aspects of volunteerism across the Society, and I offer all volunteers at the MS Society my sincere kudos for showing such generosity and caring!
Keep your eyes on our Facebook and Instagram pages for profiles on some of our all-star volunteers throughout the upcoming week. You can share your own stories with us in the comments. Happy #NationalVolunteerWeek!
In my experience as a long time volunteer for the MS Society you could do a much better job of recognizing volunteers then a one time a year blog.
Hi Betty,
Thank you so much for reading and for taking the time to comment. We’re so sorry that you’ve been feeling under-appreciated. This is the kind of feedback we like best because it allows us to improve. If you’d be open to it, maybe we can set up some time to chat by phone or e-mail to unpack some of the ways we might improve on our volunteer recognition. We sincerely do appreciate all of the time you’ve taken out of your own life to help Canadians affected by MS and hope to be able to find a way to effectively communicate that appreciation in a way that makes you feel recognized in the future.
Thank you again for the feedback!
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