Volunteer Group - Nov 10, 2021

The Emeritus Volunteer Group First Meeting

Wednesday, Nov. 10, 4-5pm

This is a new Special Interest Group (SIG) for both the recently retired and those who have enjoyed the good life for decades. The focus of the group is on volunteer activities, ones for which you can devote your time and talents toward projects that will greatly benefit others. But how does one go about choosing among the possible volunteer roles you would like to take on? Would you like to give your time to educational activities such as tutoring in the DTES or mentoring UBC students, join boards of non-profit organizations, work on projects promoting women’s rights or improving access to clean water and health in developing countries? The opportunities are limitless, diverse and in need of volunteers. How can you find out what opportunities are available locally, nationally, and internationally? How can you determine which volunteer activity is a good match for you, given your talents and an organization’s needs, where your value-added will be the greatest? The objective of this SIG is to generate interest, learn and share information on volunteer possibilities and give interested participants ideas and directions on where and how they might best use their talents to contribute to the greater good.

While the Group will be officially launched in January (hopefully in person), I think it would be useful to get together in November for a preliminary discussion by Zoom. The date and time for the November gathering will be: Wednesday, Nov. 10, 4-5pm. At that meeting, I will briefly share my motivation and ideas for this SIG, and hear from you about your experiences, interests and what you hope to learn from this Group. If there is time, we will try to reach some consensus on our goals and ambitions for this Group, and how to go about achieving them. For example, we may wish to have information sessions with speakers from different organizations, hear from remarkable individuals who have devoted their lives to worthy causes, create a website that matches individual’s interests with organizational needs, and more. The format, activities, and goals are wide open but are grounded in the fundamental principle that we all have the capacity to contribute in meaningful ways to improve the lives of so many in these challenging times.

For the January launch (date, time and location TBA), I am delighted that Dr. Martha Piper, former UBC president, has agreed to join us. Martha has been extraordinarily active in the volunteer circuit since her presidency, having served on numerous non-profit, corporate and educational Boards. She co-founded the Vancouver Council for CARE Canada that promotes women’s voices and leadership, especially in developing countries. She has served on the boards of the Dalai Lama Centre for Peace and Education, Stem Cell Research Foundation, Crofton House School and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, to name a few. In each case, she selected her volunteer activities based on her personal interests and how closely they aligned with the objectives of the respective organizations. I hope this idea is interesting to many of you and look forward to seeing you Nov. 10, 4-5pm. If you plan to attend, please let me know at Nancy.Gallini@ubc.ca.