December 5 is International Volunteer Day. Every year, hundreds of millions of people volunteer their time and skills to help make the world a better place.
In the Fraser Valley, Volunteer Abbotsford brings together volunteers with the organizations that need them.
Using their advanced, automated community hub program, the group helps match non-profit organizations with interested volunteers and volunteers with opportunities and organizations that are of interest to them.
Volunteer Abbotsford also receives requests from numerous community organizations on their Facebook page.
“We want to take this opportunity to thank all of the wonderful volunteers in our community for their efforts and to increase public awareness of their contribution to the Abbotsford and Mission area,” said Katharine Preston, executive director of Volunteer Abbotsford.
“Volunteers really are the unsung local heroes in our community, providing the heart and soul for so many vital programs and events that might otherwise falter. The community is so much stronger because of them.”
This year, United Nations Volunteers, which has been celebrating International Volunteer Day since 1985, launched an online campaign, Volunteer Action Counts, as a global volunteer action platform through which to count volunteer activities.
From the website, www.volunteeractioncounts.org, volunteers and organizations celebrating International Volunteer Day around the world can upload their stories, pictures and videos, and interact with others online about volunteering.