A strange thing happens with people who are passionate about helping others find themselves with spare time: They spend it helping others.
For free.
And we at the Mirror want to celebrate those people this week, National Volunteer Week, for all they do for our community, our Island, our province, our country and our world.
Volunteer Canada says the National Volunteer Week theme for 2021 is “The Value of One, The Power of Many.”
That theme, the organization says, “reflects on the awe-inspiring acts of kindness by millions of individuals and the magic that happens when we work together towards a common purpose.
“This past year, we have seen people supporting family, friends, neighbours, and strangers, people standing up to systemic racism, and people sharing insights on how to create a more just and equitable society,” the organization continues. “We recognize the value of the caring and compassion that each one has shown another, and we recognize the power of people, organizations, and sectors working together.”
Just in our small city of Campbell River, we have local organizations and volunteers doing things like building housing for struggling families, feeding the hungry, supporting seniors to stay in their homes longer, reaching out to those with mental health and addictions issues, putting themselves at risk to rescue lost hikers in the backcountry, supporting those who have had tradhedy befall them and much, much more.
So in this week’s edition of the Mirror, we celebrate those people and organizations – a small sample of them, at least – in the hopes that maybe more of us will see their good work and realize that we, too, might have a few hours to spare once in a while to help our fellow humans. Make sure you get a copy on Wednesday.
Thanks to the helpers. We see you and we want you to know that we see what you do as important – vital, in fact – to our community, our society and our planet.
miked@campbellrivermirror.com
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