National Volunteer Week
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Red Cross volunteers assessing the needs of evacuees following the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Photo credit: Jake Wright | |
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We’d like to share with you just a sampling of the impact volunteers have on the lives of Canadians through the Canadian Red Cross.
- Our Health Equipment Loan Program loaned over 240,400 pieces of health equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, canes and much more. Volunteers provide front-line customer service ensuring people have the right equipment to meet their needs.
- Volunteers served over 35,000 people through our Home Assistance and senior services programs such as Link to Health, Meals on Wheels, Transportation and other programs
- 23,195 Canadians were assisted by Disaster Management programs across Canada including over 10,000 people trained in Emergency Preparedness. In addition to the hours spent responding to personal disaster assistance calls, floods, forest fires and other emergencies, volunteers give considerable time to the training required to carry out their responsibilities.
- Our Restoring Family Links program volunteers responded to 813 new cases last year.
- Board, Council and Committee volunteers give more hours than we can count to provide expert advice and to ensure the Society is well governed. In addition to their responsibilities in Canada, Board members represented the Society at the Movement’s Council of Delegates in Nairobi and members of the Youth Task Force attended the World Youth Meeting and commemoration of the birth of the Movement at the Battle of Solferino.
- Our youth volunteers continue to make their mark on the Canadian Red Cross through support and leadership in the delivery of all our programs and services, including local activities such as the Ontario Youth Leadership Conference and the Global Issues Youth Symposiums organized in Lower Mainland BC, Edmonton and the Atlantic provinces, that help empower and engage youth in becoming active global citizens.
Large-scale disasters at home and abroad continue to demonstrate the importance of volunteers to the Canadian Red Cross. 2009 and early 2010 will, no doubt, be remembered for the H1N1 pandemic and the Haiti earthquake of January 12, 2010. In both disasters, volunteers were critical to the Canadian Red Cross’s ability to respond. Whether it was helping at an H1N1 vaccination clinic, collecting money from generous donors or providing first-hand assistance to survivors of the earthquake in their first moments back on Canadian soil, Canadian Red Cross volunteers were there.
The strength of the partnership between volunteers and staff is one of the most unique and important measures of success for any non-profit organization. We believe the Canadian Red Cross is a leader in this area and will only continue to be stronger.
Thank you to everyone who gives so generously of your time and talents.
Happy Volunteer Week!
