Dear Editor:
Volunteers across the country connect with the people and places where they live, contributing their time to make their communities better. They are the roots of strong communities, and I’m grateful that our community is supported by many. This year, during National Volunteer Week, taking place April 10-16, let’s celebrate the volunteers who show up for their communitie’ time and time again, making them better places to live, work, and play.
I want to take this opportunity to thank my fellow volunteers at the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), an agency of Government of Ontario and the largest granting foundation in Canada. Thank you to our volunteers who bring their community-based knowledge to the table, and help inform community investments that will help our community grow healthy and vibrant. In fact, there are teams of volunteers in 16 regions across the province. Their hard work is critical to OTF’s work and its ability to help charitable and non-profit organizations build healthier and more vibrant communities.
People across our region give their time to various initiatives, serving on boards, and pitching in to help raise funds for various organizations. These volunteers quietly and cheerfully give their personal time and energy, enabling local organizations working in the social services, environment, sports or culture sectors to deliver services that help boost our quality of life.
OTF investments create a ripple effect of volunteerism across the province. Here in the Algoma, Cochrane, Manitoulin and Sudbury, more than 1,941 contributed more than 27,000 of their time to support organizations that received funding from our Foundation. If we translate their efforts into monetary value, it comes to almost $655,152 of giving!
I know that there are so many more people here in Algoma, Cochrane, Manitoulin, and Sudbury who give their precious time to help make our community strong. So let’s take a moment during National Volunteer Week, April 10 to 16, to thank volunteers for all that they do.
Connie Witty, chair
Algoma, Cochrane, Manitoulin Sudbury Grant Review Team
Ontario Trillium Foundation
