On January 13, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., a total of 19 organizations gathered in the Student Center’s multipurpose room for the Volunteer Fair, in the hopes of recruiting Laurier Brantford students to their causes.
The majority of the organizations at the Student Centre work towards helping those in society who are less fortunate. These include the Brant Community Healthcare System, Habitat for Humanity and the Canadian Cancer Society.
Many think that volunteer opportunities are limited to directly helping those in need, but this is not true; there are branches and levels of contribution. The Brant Community Healthcare System has administrative positions available and Habitat for Humanity needs people to help organize events.
Two rather unique establishments were concerned about something less tangible, but also integral to every person’s life, and that is history and heritage. The Brant Historical Society and Doors Open Brant exist to maintain the rich history the County of Brant has.
“It’s about history, it’s about culture, and it’s about preserving all of it,” says Elizabeth Moore, a volunteer coordinator for Doors Open Brant.
Doors Open Brant is an annual celebration of Brant’s cultural and architectural heritage. The event has been happening for eight years on the fourth Saturday of September. The event is not just centered in Brant as it happens all around Ontario. And all of those events need tour guides to help people around their respective cities.
The Brant Historical Society is just what it sounds like: a collective of people who are interested in history, specifically Brant’s history. The society is looking for people who are interested in community to help curate one of the three museums that they run.
Opportunities abound and one message all groups seemed to share is that volunteer work is just as valuable as work experience. All of these organizations are currently looking for student volunteers to help with their operations, and all of them are willing to help create positive experiences for those willing to help out.
