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NT~I O]A VOUTE WEEK Aprai 6ii-12,2014i~II In December of 2012, a friend asked me if 1 wanted to go to Haiti. Having been to New Orleans and Alberta for previous mission trips, 1 was super excited to go, and 1 quickly raised enough funds to .go in February. I joined a group of 20 adults and 3 teenagers, to Cabaret and Labouderie, Haiti. When 1 got there, it was nottiing like 1 had ever experienced. When you - seie poverty on TV, or famine, or disaster, you think you fully grasp how horrible it is. It isn'tuntil you step foot into country, where the putrid smell of garbage, the sadness that coats everything, and th~e poverty that overtakes every sight you Muggy Male Sawatsky and Mliglson see, that you realize how little you know. 1 spent the rest of that day, walking around the graves of thousands of dead Haitians from the earthquake, having crying and deformed children being given to me to tare of, and being begged for just "one American dollar". The second day wie Canadian Société Cancer canadienne Society du cancer Gelebrating Voluniteers Canadian Cancer Society volunteers make the cancer journey a littie brighter. Thank you! 1 tth centre of it ail I( Halton Communhty Office 760 Paclfic Rd Unit 7 Oakville, LOLSM5 e (905) M4 5231 cancer.calvoluinteier DISTESSVolunteers are the Lifline s of our Service. A very special THANK YOU to ai Distress Centre Oakville Volunteers for their dedication EC and commitment in maklng a OAKVLLE____ýdifference in our community. *uwamvau Dlstress Une: 905-849-4541 ""10UIcIdBUC DIdDIIRIJOIdLQ were there, 1 participated in a clothing and necessity giveaway. We clothed, gave toothbrubhes, soaps and baby products to over 150 people. This process though incredibly rewarding, overwhelmed me, and 1 J - Vclu.,tur found myseif hysterically sobbing -over a church bench as little __________ Haitian children's hands poked through the cracks and holes in o.1uoe the waIl, asking for a piece of my trail mix About an hour later, a little boy named Miguelson, snuck into the church, and with his- little dirty hand, wiped off my tears. Me comforted me'un Creole and continued to wipe off my tears, before falling asleep on my Iap. 1 spent the rest of the week, in this numb state of confusion and hope. December 2012 comes around, now being 9 months since 1 was last in Haiti, 1 get a text saying 1 should go back. Not sure whether or not 1 can emotionalîy handîe it 1 prayed. Later 1 found 20 creole dollars rolled up in my back pocket. 1 went, again. This time completely filîed with joy. The first time 1 drove through, wie passed this place called Cite de Soleil. A shanty town, so filled with garbage that the river water was lime green and naked children ran through it. This was the poorest town in the world. The second time to Haiti, the garbage was gone, trees had been planted and fresh water had started to trickle through. Completeîy unrecognizable. The second time in Haiti, 1 realized that poverty wasn't sadness or despair, but that as much as Haiti is physically impoverished, Canada has much more emotional and spiritual poverty. This completeîy changed how 1 viewed the Haitians. They were no longer the people 1 was trying to help, but they were now, the people helping me. Haiti has become my new home, a place where 1 feel alive. This February, 1 am going back, hopefulîy one day, to stay. There is hope. Volunteering does heîp. It changes their lives and yours. Haiti trip 2012 TRANK YO U VOLUNTEERS For bringing comfort and joy to medically compiex chiidren in our community. You are the heart of The Darling Home for Kids! The Helplng Hands Volunteer Program Is generously sponsored by Chariable TA 80 f FOR 910 www.darllnghomefarklds.ca/volunteer Maggy Mao Sawatsky To other people, it is a mysterywhy 1 continueto volunteer, even though 1 have weI over the 40 hours required to graduate from High School. To me, it is a mystery why other people stop volunteering after they get their 40 hours. In my opinion, voîunteering is one of the best things anyone can do with their time. It is a way to make a difference in the lives of others, as weIl as in the community. Plus, volunteering doesn't just benefit the people you are helping; by brightening other peopîe's days, yours wilI also become brighter. 1 have been volunteering at a local retirement centre for 4 years. 1 also volunteer as an assistant at my dance studio and at various events at my school. There are so many different ways to volunteer, so it is easy to pick an opportunity based on your interests and skills. By doing this, you practically guarantee that you will enjoy your volunteering experience, because it wilI be coupled with things you enjoy - and are good at- doing. Though there are so many differentways to earn the titîe of 'volunteer', they ail have one thing in common: the fact that you have to help someone, or a group of people, or a cause. You have to help in some way, shape, or form. Sometimes it doesn't seem like you are helping -but trust me, you are. Even the smallest acts of kindness are appreciated, and they can ripple inio something * even bigger, without you even realizing. In the words of television lealth VolunteerS! anchor and journalist Tom Brokaw, "Ifs easy ion makes a positive to make a buck. lt's a the lives of thousands lot tougher to make a in need every year. difference." Volunteers do not get paid in money hAcclaimn - but rather, in gratitude, I and it is with this IHealth gratitude thatwe make a istration #: (- ifrne toool Z5 Sharina Marris, Grade 10Ostudent D, Frank J. Haydan 5.5. Many thanks to ail ofyou. For yur spirit of generosity, andyour '7ands on caring'. Chjeers to Volunteers! Th