Town, FCSS launch new virtual volunteer hub

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Town of Strathmore hosted an event on Oct. 5 to launch a regional partnership with VolunteerConnector, having developed a comprehensive virtual volunteer hub.

The partnership offers access to the online platform that aids in actively engaging and recruiting local volunteers, which was detailed and demonstrated during the lunch and learn where the partnership was formally announced.

“Engaging and supporting volunteers is recognized by Council as a key activity within the Strategic Plan to maintain a vibrant and connected community,” said Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) coordinator Melissa Masse. “It is important to acknowledge the meaningful role that volunteers play in Strathmore.”

In addition to the website, the Strathmore FCSS office is able to offer in-person support for both community members and organizations inquiring about the program.

According to Masse, it has been indicated to the Town that residents feel volunteerism is an important aspect of reconnecting the community following the COVID-19 pandemic, though many did not know how to easily find opportunities. 

“This website provides a space to easily find local volunteer opportunities … we also encourage individuals and organizations to stop by and talk to us about what volunteering means to them,” said Masse. “In addition to offering online resources, we understand that in-person conversations can be very meaningful to our residents.”

Victoria Odell, who spoke on behalf of the Alberta Rural Mental Health Association, added the volunteer hub is part of the Strathmore FCSS’ Rural Mental Health Individual Community Grant project and was entirely funded through the successfully acquired rural mental health grant.

The focus of the individual community grant received by Strathmore FCSS is about community connections and reconnecting community members with each other and the community as a whole.

Similar to local residents and volunteers not knowing where to look for volunteer opportunities, organizations who require volunteers were noted to be struggling to reconnect with volunteers who had, for example, dropped off the radar over the course of the pandemic. 

“The volunteer hub is an opportunity to bring everything all together again where volunteers are able to seek volunteer opportunities and organizations are able to seek volunteers who can volunteer for them and have a designated area for community members to look,” said Odell. “The overall impact is really about reigniting what is already quite strong in Strathmore and making it bigger and more succinct.”

The Town of Strathmore’s volunteer page can be accessed online (www.strathmore.ca/volunteer).