Get out for a cause
National Volunteer Week runs from April 10 to 16, and the Concordia LIVE Centre offers many possibilities to make a difference. However, various organizations could benefit from participation year-round, and others need help for fundraising events.
Besides gathering pledges, these events need people to help set up, manage crowds, post signs, distribute food or water or organize office-based teams to hold fundraising events, participate as a group or solicit pledges.
For those who want an opportunity to pitch in and make a difference, there are several opportunities over the summer.
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada
April 17 is the date for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada’s MS Walk. This event raises funds to provide support and services to help those living with the disease, their families and their caregivers. The MS Society also funds research with three primary goals: to find a cause and cure for MS, repair nervous system damage caused by MS, and stop MS attacks.
Kids Help Phone
Kristen-Chantelle Woo is participating in a work term at Kids Help Phone as part of her marketing studies at the John Molson School of Business (JMSB). The program offers kids in trouble a counsellor on the phone offering support, advice and referrals for any problems they might be experiencing, 24 hours a day. Woo is organizing a team, so far mostly from JMSB, to participate in the May 1 Walk for Kids Help Phone being held in Angrignon Park. Join the JMSB team or find other information on the Walk for Kids Help Phone website.
World Partnership Walk
Under the theme Take Steps to End Global Poverty, the World Partnership Walk raised more that $6 million across Canada last year for international development initiatives supported by the Aga Khan Foundation Canada. This year’s Montreal walk will take place on June 5 in Maisonneuve Park. Find out more about how the $60 million raised over the march’s 27-year history has been used, and get involved.
Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer
The Segal Cancer Centre at the Jewish General Hospital benefits from the Annual Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer, which raises funds for research and new technologies to improve diagnosis and therapy. In the 2009 two-day ride, Liliane Chamas captained a team of Concordia students who raised $10,000 before she headed to Oxford for her Rhodes Scholarship. That year’s 280-kilometre ride raised $5.7 million, while last year’s raised $1 million more. Participate on July 9-10, 2011.
Weekend to End Women’s Cancers
The Weekend to End Women’s Cancers also benefits the Segal Cancer Centre, with walkers having raised more than $40 million over the walk’s six-year history. The 60-kilometre route features pit stops every three or four kilometres that will require volunteer support for those daunted by the distance. Organizers have also planned several training and preparation sessions between now and the weekend of August 27-28. Get more information on the event website.