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19 | Friday, A pril 2 8 , 2 0 1 7 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | w w w .insideH A LT O N .com VOLUNTEER BENEVOLES C A N Volunteer Week Apr 2 3 -2 9 2017 By Ann Coburn M I*" OAKVI LLE & MI L T O N HUMANE SOCIETY V O tU N T E E K Celebrating volunteers: Hands Through Time National Volunteer week is underway, running until Saturday Apr. 29. This an nual campaign provides an opportunity for us to celebrate and honour volun teers who have given their tim e and efforts to deserving causes across the country, region, and community. National Volunteer Week is a campaign designed to recognize, show appreciation, and highlight the trem endous impacts our volunteers have left in creating strong, vibrant, and inclusive com munities. Hands Through Time is this year's them e, created by Volunteer Halton to reflect the history of volunteering and to highlight how volunteers have been instrum ental in the creation of an inclu sive, vibrant, and progressive country. Many hands have shaped our coun try and community. We can trace the act of helping one another back to our ancestors from the tim e they arrived on this land, now called Canada. When our ancestors fi rst landed, the Indigenous people reached out and taught them how to survive, by teaching how to for age for food in the forest, tapping trees for maple syrup, building shelter, using herbs to fight disease and introduced new foods such as corn, squash and beans to sustain them during the long harsh winters. The spirit and culture of caring for one another is needed as much today as it was in our ancestors' tim e. Today we continue to lend a hand where needed. We have all heard the saying `many hands make light work'. Every day in this busy world volunteers from all walks of life take the tim e to help others. They are special people re sponsible for changing the landscape of com m unities through the development of programs to address the needs of our m ost vulnerable as well as to advo cate for change; giving voice to issues and solutions of everyday citizens. The efforts of volunteers have enriched life beyond compare. Volunteers are diverse people from all walks of life. In spite of these differenc es, volunteers seem to have one thing in common: their desire and eagerness to lend a helping hand and leave their im print on society. It is vital that we give our volunteers the recognition they so greatly deserve. Even the tiniest volunteer effort leaves a profound and lasting mark in a community and in a person's life. As so beautifully stated by Nelson Mandela, " It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it." We invite everyone to experience the world of volunteering by giving back to their com m unities. Visit volunteerhalton.ca today for ways to lend a helping hand. Submitted by Volunteer Halton, Com munity Development Halton. Centre for Treatment and Development ERINOAKjDS Thank you to our 4 3 0 dedicated vo lu n teers w h o help kids w ith disab ilities reach th e ir full p o te n tia l! Exciting v o lu n teer o p p o rtu n ities w ill be available at our n ew sites, opening soon! For m ore in fo rm atio n and dates o f our recru itm en t fairs, visit w w w .erinoakkids.ca