Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet?
Maybe 2019 will finally be the year you eat more salads, hit the gym every week and read some of those books collecting dust on your shelves. But there’s also a commitment you can make to benefit yourself and your community – volunteering with Burnaby Family Life.
You could become a vital part of a child-care program by setting up, preparing snacks and cleaning – but, more importantly, you can develop a special relationship with the children, according to volunteer coordinator Diane Doyle.
“Sometimes you see joy, and that can really help for you to see some of the good things in life, some of the simpler things in life, some of the wonder in life that we kind of lose when we’re an adult,” Doyle said.
Burnaby Family Life currently has more than 50 weekly volunteer shifts open, she said. Most of the help is needed in assisting child care programs for kids ages three to five.
Volunteers with language skills, including Farsi, Arabic and Mandarin, often help staff better connect with the children, Doyle said.
Doyle said volunteers play a vital role in the non-profit’s work but they also get “a very positive sense of contribution” themselves.
“That idea of giving is just as good as – or, in some cases, better than – receiving, where you’re contributing your skills, your time, your energy,” she said. “And that gives a sense of self worth ...When you’re helping other people, you help yourself.”
Anyone interested in volunteering is invited to attend an information session at 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 11 at 6149 McKercher Ave. (off Kingsway). To register for the session, contact Doyle by phone 604-312-3243 or email ddoyle@burnabyfamilylife.org.
Doyle asks that potential volunteers commit to three months and must allow a criminal record check.
