www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, April 17, 2015 | 6 April 12-18 is a special week devoted to saluting those who donate their time and energy to their fellow citizens and the community -- our volunteers. National Volunteer Week raises awareness to the vital contribution volunteers make to our day-to-day lives. Oakville's volunteers serve on boards and committees, mentor peers, organize cultural and recreational activities, support the elderly, provide shelter, counsel youths, clean parks, coach teams, read to children, tutor adults, assist food banks and so much more. You can not put into dollars the value of our volunteers. National Volunteer Week was rst proclaimed in 1943. In Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver, Women's Voluntary Services organized special events to draw the public's attention to the signi cant contribution women were making to the war effort on the home front. In the late 1960s, the idea of a designated week to honour such dedicated people was revived and the focus broadened to include all community volunteers. With local community organizations taking the lead, National Volunteer Week promotions and celebrations continue to grow, and for good reason. Findings from the most comprehensive study on giving and volunteering (2013 General Social Survey -- Giving, Volunteering and Participating) reveal that Canadians continue to be generous, volunteering close to two billion hours in 2013. Providing those hours were 12.7 million Canadians, according to the survey. Volunteers believe in causes. They are passionate about having clean, healthy and safe communities, active living and, of course, helping others. Simply put, our volunteers strengthen where we live, work and play. For example, what would Halton Healthcare Services (HHS) do without the more than 1,100 volunteers at its three hospitals and other clinics? At Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital there are 825 adult, student and youth volunteers supporting 70 services. "This year's theme, `Volunteers -- A Work of Heart', describes perfectly the contribution the volunteers make," Sharon Norris, HHS vice-president, human resources planning and organizational development, said in a release. Several events are being held to honour volunteers who assist HHS in many different capacities -- directing visitors, assisting at the bedside, preparing materials behind the scenes, running gift shops and other fundraising ventures -- for dozens of programs "They truly are the heart of our organization," said Norris. We couldn't agree more. No doubt, the same can be said for the countless folks who serve local charities, service clubs, schools and sports groups in this town. See page 8 of today's Oakville Beaver for just one example. Volunteers aspire to make life better for others and we honour them for doing so. Thank you. Thank you, to all our volunteers Editorial O P T I M I S T I C "Connected to your Community" O R A T O R S 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 53 | Number 31 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager SANDY PARE MARK DILLS On April 2, the Optimist Club of Oakville held its annual Oratorical Contest. Pictured with Optimist Oratorical Chair Cathy DiMichele, competitors included, from left, Ilker Hadzhalaran ( rst place), Zohaa Zafar ( rst runnerup) and Stefan Momcilovic (second runner-up). Hadzhalaran and Zafar then represented the local service club at the Optimist Zone 3 Oratorical Competition April 8. Hadzhalaran won and will continue on to compete at the District Optimist Oratorical Competition next month in Barrie. | submitted photo Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Volunteers the foundation of CAS National Volunteer Week, which takes place April 12-18, 2015, is a time to recognize, thank and celebrate Canada's volunteers. We encourage you to take the time to thank the volunteers who do so much in our communities. The theme of National Volunteer Week 2015 is `Volunteers are part of the ripple effect.' As noted by Volunteer Canada, "A volunteer action is like a stone thrown in a lake: its effect has a direct impact. "At the same time, like ripples, volunteer efforts reach out far and wide to improve communities." At the Halton Children's Aid Society, our volunteers annually contribute more than 12,000 hours of their time in various roles including mentors, volunteer drivers, sum- Letters to the Editor Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member mer camp support, food for life program assistance, tutoring and so much more. One long-time Society volunteer notes, "I get more out of it than I put in. From what I've done over the last 35 to 40 years volunteering, I always say that I'm very sel sh to volunteer. This is my fun time." During National Volunteer Week, we thank our volunteers, both past and present, for their wonderful contributions to the work of our Society. We are proud to recognize them this week and in the future. We could not do the work we do without them. They are our rocks. Robyn Connolly, communications Halton Children's Aid Society Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Proud Official Media Sponsor For: The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington, ON, L7L 5Z1 or via email to ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. 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