There are times when reality just asserts itself and we end up in situations that appear worse than they really are. It’s in these times that the true nature of community is tested, people rise to the occasion, and we grow stronger.
Back in early April, such a reality was discussed when a consortium of not-for-profit organizations banded together to welcome a messenger from the volunteer sector.
Internationally-acclaimed risk management guru Linda Graff visited Red Deer heralding a message that we are living in a time of great change. And with change comes opportunity.
Graff reported that there is a wave of volunteers emerging that are bringing an entirely new toolbox of skills, talents, experience, and influence to community development. For those organizations visionary and creative enough to engage them, the potential is nearly boundless.
But radical shifts in how we think about volunteers — at the organizational level — and how we support them as a community will be necessary if our collective potential is to be realized in the emerging fourth sector.
Thanks to the combined efforts of Alberta Health Services, United Way of Central Alberta, The Red Deer & District Community Foundation, Cultural Charter Partners, and Volunteer Red Deer — a division of the Community Information and Referral Society (CiRS) — our community leaders were able to see their community from a new perspective.
Those who attended were emboldened to make the necessary changes to ensure our quality of life is maintained and strengthened for ours and future generations.
On behalf of the CiRS board of directors, sincerest thanks and gratitude go out to the organizations that join together for benefit of our community.
Dawna Morey
Executive Director Community Information & Referral Society