Call to action for COVID-19 volunteers

By Janet Kanters, Editor

The province has launched a new tool to connect Albertans with volunteer opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond.
The Alberta Cares Connector “embraces the Alberta spirit of supporting the vulnerable by offering our assistance, skills and time to those who need it most,” according to a news release from the government of Alberta.
Alberta has more than 26,400 non-profit organizations and, each year, more than 1.6 million Albertans provide more than 262 million volunteer hours to support the non-profit and voluntary sector at a value of $5.6 billion.
“Albertans are proud to have the highest volunteer rates across Canada, and we take action in countless ways to meet the needs of our communities and neighbours,” said Leela Sharon Aheer, Minister of Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women, and Chestermere-Strathmore MLA. “The Alberta Cares Connecter will assist Albertans who want to help at this time by connecting them with local volunteer opportunities to help those most in need.”
This new tool provides an easy one-stop-shop for those looking for service opportunities. Opportunities include volunteering at food banks, sewing masks or scrub bags for front-line health-care workers, providing meals for essential service workers, picking up groceries for those unable to leave their homes, packing and delivering essential needs for vulnerable Albertans, donating blood through myaccount.blood.ca, donating items to shelters in need, and reaching out to seniors through positive messages or phone calls.
To find volunteer opportunities, visit https://www.volunteerconnector.org/.

Northern Lights Volunteer Recognition Program
The province has also launched the Northern Lights Volunteer Awards to recognize Albertans who volunteer to support their community.
The honourees will be nominated by fellow Albertans and selected for profiling on the program’s website and through social media.
There are no requirements for hours of service, and any individual or group who helps out in their community is eligible for an award. The nomination submission requests a brief story about the nominee’s contribution. Nominations will be accepted online on an ongoing basis.
The program is now accepting nominations at https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-northern-lights-nominate-a-volunteer.aspx.