The Fido Burnaby leadership team share their experience volunteering with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Vancouver.
What made your team get involved in the Rogers Employee Volunteer Program?
We wanted to plan a great team building activity and thought that volunteering seemed like a great opportunity to bond and give back to the community at the same time.
What did you do for your day-of-giving and did anyone join you?
Our team went to the Kivan Club of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Vancouver, one of 12 neighbourhood clubs around the city where they organize an afterschool program for vulnerable youth.
Tell us what your day was like!
Our team and the volunteers at the Boys & Girls Club participated in a “walking school bus” where we picked the kids up from the nearby school and walked them back to the club. We spent the majority of our time getting a chance to bond and chat with the kids and playing in the park since it was such a beautiful day!
What was your favorite moment during your volunteer experience?
Getting to know the children we were paired alongside. Some of the conversations the kids shared with us about their life experiences were not only eye-opening, but incredibly heartwarming. It made us realize how fortunate we are. Spending that short time with them and seeing the world through their eyes was rewarding – it was great to feel like a kid again!
Did you take away anything valuable from the experience?
The importance of taking time out of your day to give back. We think the fact that clubs like these exist, ones where they serve so many youth and turn no one away, makes you appreciate being part of something bigger and do something for the greater good.