Volunteer Group - Jan. 20, 2022

The Emeritus Volunteer Group Second Meeting

Wednesday, Jan. 20, 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.

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 Jan. 20, 4-5pm. If you plan to attend, please let me know at Nancy.Gallini@ubc.ca.