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Thank a volunteer sometime this week
by Chris Simon

From April 27 to May 3, people across Canada will celebrate National Volunteer Week.

So, if you happen to see a volunteer at some point this week, shake their hand and thank them. Volunteers are easy to spot, they're usually doing the tireless work that many others pass on. They're in every facet of life; nursing homes, daycare centres, amateur sports teams and even police forces across the region.

Volunteer Week was created in 1943, to recognize the effort women were showing on the home front during the Second World War. In the 1960s, the focus was broadened to include all community volunteers.

According to http://volunteer.ca, there are over 161,000 registered charities across Canada. In most of those, volunteers play a vital role. Each year, volunteers contribute two billion hours of service, the equivalent of one million full time jobs. Simply put, society, in its current capacity, could not function without these people. They ensure healthy lifestyles through coaching, organize events to raise money for the fight against illnesses like cancer and AIDS, and host community festivals.

But surprisingly, 77 per cent of that labour is done by only 11 per cent of the volunteer force. The provincial government and several organizations have realized the important role volunteers play in society, and have actively tried to encourage participation. The province has mandated that all secondary school students need to complete 40 hours of community service before they can receive their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. Meanwhile, organizations like Volunteer Canada have a specific goal of promoting volunteerism across the country.

Locally, Innisfil residents have a lot to thank volunteers for. The Friends of the Library play a critical role in organizing programming and fundraising events for the Innisfil Public Library. They're at the four library branches daily, stocking shelves and providing customer service.

The South Simcoe Police Service also uses volunteers. Their auxiliary unit consists of nearly 30 volunteers, who perform many of the duties of a regular patrol officer, from event security to emergency response. Those volunteer officers are asked to lend their services for 12 hours per month, in addition to the 60 hours of training they received before joining the force.

Hundreds of volunteers across the region also actively lend their time to the health care system. Many fundraise for Royal Victoria Hospital, or drive cancer patients to appointments on behalf of the Canadian Cancer Society.

And plenty of other people help ensure local schools are adequately cared for, by participating on parent councils, speaking to students or managing sports teams and clubs.

Even many of Innisfil's largest events function largely because of volunteers. The Innisfil Community Events Corporation (ICECORP) is a volunteer-based organization that hosts annual events like Summerfest and Winterfest, and the Innisfil Santa Claus Parade. On Saturday, they even organized the David Wilcox concert at the Stroud Arena. All the money raised by ICECORP is used for improving recreation within the town. Over the last few years, Innisfil Beach Park and the new recreation complex have benefitted from the work of these volunteer efforts.

Often, volunteers are attempting to raise money for whatever cause they see as important. It's easy to write a cheque, or drop a coin in a box. But these volunteers are working long hours to ensure Canadians have a better quality of life. Volunteers sweep floors, care for the sick and help residents have a bit of fun. Most don't do it to be recognized, honoured or thanked. But a handshake and a few kind words takes only a fraction of the time that volunteer has spent making lives a little easier.