Back-to-School

It's been some years now since I had to worry about the back-to-school countdown, but I still feel like September means business.  Vacations are over, we trade in shorts and tank-tops for fall layers (okay, sometimes that doesn't happen until October) and all things new begin. 

I may not be in school anymore, but I had a back-to-school countdown this year too.  Now that you've had 2 days of classes I hope the old routine has come back to you.  For those of you making the jump to high school this year, don't stress, the routine comes.

If you follow us on Facebook, you may have seen our countdown that shared 10 tips for successful volunteer experiences.  If you don't (you should), we're sharing them again here:

Volunteer Tips

10. Think about what you want to gain from volunteering - new skills, fun, a chance to contribute to a cause?

9. Ask questions.  Don't be afraid to ask questions as you go through the process of applying for an opportunity or once you've started volunteering.

8. Think about what you have to offer.  This includes your skills, abilities, talents and attitude.

7. Don't be discouraged.  Remember that everyone can volunteer, whatever your skills, experience or background you will find an opportunity.

6. If you don't find an opportunity you're passionate about, create one!

5. Do more than just 40 hours.  Volunteering can be a great additional to a post-secondary application or resume.

4. Really look for an opportunity, don't wait for someone to hand it to you.  Use the Sarnia Gives Search Tool at www.sarniagives.com

3. Show up!  You've made a commitment and people are counting on you so be there.

2. Make sure you confirm with your school that an activity is eligible for your 40 hour credit before you start.  If it's not, it might still be worth doing.

1. Just try it!  The most difficult part of volunteering can be making the first move, so be brave!

In my day we didn't have to complete 40 hours of community involvement activities, we just volunteered because it was fun.  I know that for many of you those 40 hours seem like one more thing added to the list of things you already need to do, but I want to tell you that they are so much more.  You will meet new people, learn new things and have some great experiences that you can't have doing anything else.  I encourage you to do more than 40 hours if you can!

If you're not sure where to start or how to find a volunteer opportunity that you can be excited about, use the Sarnia Gives Search Tool to get started (that's tip 4).  Sarnia Gives is here to help you be successful any way we can so feel free to call, email, Facebook or Tweet us with your questions.

Welcome back to school & happy volunteering!!

The End of ChangeTheWorld 2012

Well, we made it.  Sunday, May 6 marked the end of the very first Sarnia-Lambton ChangeTheWorld!

There are several thank-you's to be said, but none bigger than the thank you we're sending out to the youth volunteers who came out and participated in the campaign.  You guys are amazing!  You took the opportunity to be active in your community and give back.  I couldn't help but feel proud as a signed each of your participant certificates and put together your thank you's.  We hope that you'll share your volunteer experience with your friends and fellow students and encourage them to get involved as well.  Don't forget to complete your participant survey to be entered in a pretty cool draw for your chance to win  lots of great prizes.  If you missed the email with the link, we've got it for you right here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CTW2012_YouthParticipants

Thank you to the amazing partners at Starbucks Sarnia.  They are not only our Community Partners year-round, but they stepped up to become a part of the CTW 2012 campaign.  What an incredible job they did.  They were out at all four of our community garden builds to make sure our volunteers stayed hydrated and they never hesitated to picked up a shovel and make sure the project was finished.  They are a fantastic group of people and if you're in the shop be sure to thank them for the things they do for the Sarnia-Lambton community.  You can now follow them on Twitter at @SbuxSarnia

Thank you of course to all of our partners in this years ChangeTheWorld: the Sarnia Community Foundation, One Tomato Project, the Ontario Volunteer Centre Network (OVCN), the Ministry of Citizenship & Immigration (MCI), our fearless leader, Armin, at Volunteer MBC and the 24 other communities that participated in this years 5th anniversary of CTW.  I am proud to be able to say I was a part of this with all of you and the entire team at Sarnia Gives is honoured to have been a part of ChangeTheWorld.

   

We had some struggles, but that was to be expected as a first time participant.  Those struggles aside, this campaign was a success.  Our community knows what ChangeTheWorld is now and we were able to share with our local youth the importance and benefits of volunteering.  ChangeTheWorld may be over for another year, but the chance to get involved isn't.  You can visit the Sarnia Gives website year-round and find vlunteer opportunities suited to your life-style and passions.

We're looking forward to ChangeTheWorld 2013 already!  If you have any ideas or are interested in volunteering for the campaign let us know with an email. And remember...

Together we can make a difference!  Together we can change the world!