Volunteer Spotlight Series | National Volunteer Week 2023

ANTHONY BARBIERI

Welcome to National Volunteer Week 2023! This week we’re sharing some amazing First Westers with you, who just happen to be tremendous volunteers, too! 

We’re kicking off the week with Member Advisor Anthony Barbieri, working out of the Willoughby branch in the Envision region. And we’re introducing you to Guildford Athletic Club, affectionately known as Guildford AC or GAC. 

A Guildford AC soccer player in his own right, Anthony has been volunteering with the Club since 2018, when he was asked by his coach to help with some weekly training sessions. Fast forward a few years, now as a volunteer coach, he runs his own training sessions and leads game throughout the week. 

Coaching is a passion for Anthony as he often heads to practice after work and leads a couple sessions a night engaging and inspiring young soccer players. The inspiration goes both ways as he enjoys providing structure and influencing the next generation of players and young adults. He tells us volunteering makes him feel grateful! 

If you ask Anthony why it’s important to volunteer, he chalks it up to a saying he once heard, sharing there isn’t much point learning something if you can’t share it with others. “Sharing what I’ve learned is the whole reason I started coaching and why I’ve have fallen in love with it,” he says. 

We love your volunteer heart, Anthony! Thank you for leading well in your community and setting such an inspiring example for those around you. See you on the pitch! 

JASMIN ALEXANDER

Today we travel across the Salish Sea to the Island Savings region, to highlight Senior Product Manager Jasmin Alexander.

Happy National Volunteer Week 2023!

Volunteering has become a way of being for Jasmin as she supports three organizations with her time and talent: MAiD Family Support Society, Bridge C-14, and the Victoria Chapter of Dying with Dignity Canada.

A couple of defining moments led her to volunteer more intentionally and more frequently. In 2020, Jasmin’s Mother accessed MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) in Switzerland, leaving her to look for support that wasn’t easily found or necessarily a fit for her situation. And the following year, she completed the Minerva Women Leading the Way program.

As Jasmin graciously shares, “over time I became aware of organizations here in Canada. I realized I get a lot back by providing the support I was looking to other people for. I had a lightbulb moment with Minerva of how important giving back is to me.”

From managing social media channels and event coordination with the Victoria Chapter of Dying with Dignity Canada to facilitating virtual drop-in sessions and grief programs for Bridge C-14 to offering 1:1 peer support, a board seat and social media management with MAiD Family Support Society, Jasmin passionately enjoys helping people and giving back.

We see you and we thank you for your tireless dedication to your community, Jasmin. You are leading well on Vancouver Island and making the world around you a kinder, gentler one.

JENNIFER RITCHIE 

Volunteers are the heartbeat of our communities! And we are taking this National Volunteer Week opportunity to send a vociferous shout out to all volunteers as your commitment creates caring, kind, compassionate and thriving communities. 

As we celebrate National Volunteer Week and the theme for 2023, Volunteering Weaves us Together, we stay on the Island with Lead Well award recipient Jennifer Ritchie. Jennifer is a MAC (Member Advice Centre) Supervisor in the Island Savings region, and a local, living in Duncan her entire life. But that is all about to change, as she and her family are about to embark on a cross-country move to Manitoba rather imminently. 

Jennifer proudly wears her volunteer hat with her son Shane’s hockey team, initially helping when he signed up to play. “When I realized how much it can cost in a year to be part of the Rep teams, I felt it important to help so more kids could have the opportunity and afford to play,” shared Jennifer. 

Along with being the team safety/medic, she also volunteers her time to help raise funds to reduce the fees and additional travel expenses for the players and their families. From bottle drives to raffle tickets and 50/50 draws at hockey games, Jennifer is on board. 

The payoff? “Watching the kids play the sport they love,” says Jennifer. “They make so many friends and learn so many important life skills like teamwork, dedication and hard work. It feels so good to watch my son with his friends and see the true friendships he has made.”

Sports are integral to community, and we thank you for leading well in yours, Jennifer. 

GRACE DEL ROSARIO

Today we sail back across the Salish Sea to the mainland to introduce you to Grace Del Rosario, Legal Administrative Assistant working in the Envision region.

Happy National Volunteer Week!

Last summer, Grace began volunteering for the Amici Curiae Friendship Society, a non-profit charity providing legal assistance based upon the principle of equal access to justice, regardless of ones financial means. 

At Amici Curiae (Italian for ‘friends of the court’), she assists with technology checks for clients attending virtual workshops with volunteer legal professionals. She also participates in these legal workshops as a volunteer, creating client session records for the participants and providing detailed instructions on how to navigate the court system with next steps. 

Grace’s lightbulb moment came when a client’s gratitude for the service they received translated into a donation back to Amici Curiae. “It is so heartwarming to hear that these donations come full circle,” shared Grace. “Volunteering is important to me because it creates a sense of community. We are helping build our community by holding more in-person workshops and providing facilities to hold information sessions for common legal issues.”

Volunteering inspires Grace as she can see the relief in clients and hear the gratitude when she and her volunteer colleagues are able to, in a nutshell, “take an issue and uncomplicate it. I feel inspired and I love learning about other people and gaining new perspectives,” she says. 

You inspire us, Grace. You are leading well in your community and the world around you is better for it. Thank you!

BRENDALYN BELBIN 

As we put a bow on National Volunteer Week today, we say THANK YOU to each one of our amazing First Westers who lead, volunteer in every capacity and help create thriving communities across British Columbia. 

Happy National Volunteer Week!

Our National Volunteer Week road-trip through the regions wraps up today and if you’ve been following along, you’ve learned about some fantastic First West staffers who have a side hustle as superstar volunteers! 

Heading east and a little north, we arrive in the Valley First region and introduce you to Member Advisor, Brendalyn Belbin. Brendalyn is a tenured volunteer with the Kelowna Garden Club and the Okanagan Fruit Tree Project. Not to mention any Valley First volunteer opportunity when they come up. 

A lover of all things gardening, Brendalyn began volunteering at the Kelowna Garden Club and the Okanagan Fruit Tree Project over five years ago. At the Club, she was an advertising coordinator and is now closer to the top volunteering job. At the Fruit Tree Project she is a harvest leader and helps them plant and harvest seasonal veggies and fruit for local non-profits like the women’s shelter, Kelowna Mission, Mamas for Mamas and Boys & Girls Clubs.

Volunteering inspires Brendalyn’s gratitude for life and thankfulness for her place in it. “Volunteering makes me happy, not only that I helped,” she shares. “And it gives me perspective not to waste any food or take life for granted. I enjoy making a difference.” 

We see your kind, giving, volunteering heart Brendalyn and we thank you for leading well in your community for many years. We celebrate your commitment to your Valley neighbours.