UNews - Volunteer Lethbridge

Congratulations to our Leaders of Tomorrow award winners

caroline.zentner — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 17:32:53 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge congratulates all Leaders of Tomorrow award winners; they are shining examples of engaged citizenship. As part of National Volunteer Week, Volunteer Lethbridge announced the winners at a gala Thursday evening.

Among the winners are several U of L students and their volunteer work highlights their desire to give back to the community. They truly are the leaders of tomorrow.

In the 19-to-24 age group, U of L students Marissa Hsu, Jesse Wamsteeker, Chelsea Kleckner, Antoine Gendron and Justin Miller each received an Excellence Award.

Hsu has served on a medical-volunteering trip to the Dominican Republic. Her involvements include the Student Refugee Program, the Canadian Armed Forces and the Delta Eta Iota Sorority.

Wamsteeker is a respected volunteer leader known for his dedication, motivation, compassion and exceptional planning and organizational skills. He volunteers at Chinook Regional hospital and with Canadian Blood Services and is dedicated to helping those around him.

Kleckner embodies leadership and selfless service in her volunteer work. She’s involved with the U of L Rotaract Club, Volunteer Lethbridge, Eagles Nest Ranch, Hillcrest Evangelical Church, Lethbridge Food Bank and Whispering Pines Camp.

Gendron, a dedicated activist, has worked hard to create change. He started and planned the U of L’s first Earth Day celebration in 2018, including raising funds and recruiting volunteers and speakers. He organized this year’s Earth Day celebration as well. In addition, Gendron is involved with the Oldman Watershed Council and serves on their board of directors.

Miller is known for his ability to create an environment of trust, hospitality and rapport. He showed exceptional leadership in revamping the Emergency Room volunteer program at Chinook Regional Hospital. Miller gives his time to many other organizations, including the U of L Pre-Med Club, Taber Minor Hockey and Cranbrook Minor Hockey.

In addition, Recognition Awards were given to the following U of L students: Trinity Alles, Hana Bissett, Elani Bykowski, Abby Davis, Janey Deacon-Rosamond, Keely Goulding, Suraj Navani, Suzanne Stables, Sunil Stephenson, Olivia Tondevold and Tiffany Trinh.

Through a partnership with Volunteer Lethbridge, the UVolunteer program, administered through the School of Liberal Education, encourages volunteerism among students. One of the pillars of liberal education is citizenship, both local and global. The U of L is extremely proud of these bright lights in our midst who exemplify this ideal of citizenship. We applaud their many achievements through volunteerism.

U of L recognizes volunteer contributions for National Volunteer Week

caroline.zentner — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 22:35:46 +0000

Raising the National Volunteer Week flag gives the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge the opportunity to thank the students, staff and alumni who volunteer their time not only to ensure the success of many U of L events and programs, but also to help organizations in the broader community.

Since 2013, the U of L has partnered with Volunteer Lethbridge to encourage volunteerism on campus. UVolunteer, which is administered by the School of Liberal Education, employs a cooperative education student each year to inform students and engage them with volunteer opportunities in the community.

“One of the four pillars of liberal education is community and civic engagement. We encourage students to be involved in their communities as volunteers, participants and changemakers,” says Dr. Shelly Wismath, dean of the School of Liberal Education.

Students are picking up on that message. From the start of the semester last September until the end of February, UVolunteer had more than 300 new student registrations and those students contributed nearly 2,200 hours of their time. Their contributions were worth more than $50,000 to the local economy. They were matched with diverse organizations ranging from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lethbridge to the United Way.

This year’s UVolunteer program coordinator is Paige Hutchinson, a fourth-year anthropology student.

Paige Hutchinson, photo by Clasual.

“Every year our numbers for the UVolunteer program are growing; more students are signing up and they’re recording more hours,” says Hutchinson. “In my opinion, students are volunteering so much more than what’s being recorded. Often, students don’t know what they’re doing is volunteering. They’re just doing it because they enjoy it or want to help out.”

The benefits of volunteering extend to both the organization and the volunteer, Hutchinson says. Local non-profit organizations are behind a host of services that benefit the citizens of Lethbridge and they couldn’t do their work without volunteers. Volunteers get the chance to make a difference, gain experience, build connections and maybe even find full-time work opportunities. Typically, they volunteer because they want to, not because they want acknowledgement.

“A lot of volunteers go unrecognized. Their efforts aren’t always noticed by the general public,” says Hutchinson. “I think it’s awesome there is National Volunteer Week and that so many people participate.”

Alumni also play an active role in volunteering; in 2018, 650 alumni gave their time to the U of L through special events and programs, creating connections with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the larger community. Their involvement highlights the U of L’s Be a Bright Light campaign, which is part of the larger Shine campaign to increase engagement opportunities for alumni and community members and raise $100 million to propel the entire region forward.

As part of National Volunteer Week, Volunteer Lethbridge will unveil the winners of the Volunteer Excellence and Volunteer Recognition awards on Wednesday, April 10 at the Leaders of Tomorrow Award Gala.

U of L students recognized at Leaders of Tomorrow Gala

trevor.kenney — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 21:43:03 +0000

Volunteer Lethbridge celebrated the volunteer spirit in the community Wednesday night, including a total of seven ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students who were honoured with awards at the 2015 Leaders of Tomorrow Gala.

The annual gala celebrates the achievements of local youth volunteers who have worked to better Lethbridge and southern Alberta. The Leaders of Tomorrow program acknowledges youth who have made outstanding contributions to our community through volunteering. Volunteer Lethbridge recognizes and celebrates the dedication, conduct and good work of exceptional youth volunteers whose example is an inspiration to their peers.

A total of eight Excellence Awards were handed out and two U of L students received recognition, Michelle Kwan and Alyssa Waldner (their citations are below). As well, Ashtin Halmrast, Holly Locke, Heung Yee (Janis) Lui, Jordie Prestie and Jacquelyn Walker, all of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, were honoured with Recognition Awards.

Michelle Kwan

Michelle continuously demonstrates leadership and is an inspiration to others. Michelle has been an active volunteer with the Helen Schuler Nature Centre for two years where she is involved with Junior Naturalists and Extreme by Nature as a program assistant. She also acts as an Exhibit Rover where she provides direction and answers questions from visitors. Michelle volunteers with the Evangelical Free Church of Lethbridge particularly in their children ministry as a Sunday School Teacher. Her work within Alberta Health Services is also commendable. She has acted as an Ice Water Deliverer and Pediatrics Volunteer where she provides one-on-one attention to the patients and siblings on the Pediatrics Unit. Michelle is involved in many other volunteer organizations throughout Lethbridge such as the Lethbridge and District Humane Society, The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and Lethbridge Collegiate Institute. Michelle is consistently thinking of others first rather than the needs of herself.

Alyssa Waldner

Alyssa is a devoted volunteer with a passion for helping! She is an Assistant Music Educator to the Con Moto singers, where she helps spread the love of music. Alyssa has volunteered her musical leadership and talents with St. Augustine’s Church as the Music Coordinator for Vacation Bible School, Lethbridge Musical Theatre, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Lethbridge Family Services and many other organizations. As a student at Winston Churchill High School, she was President of the Interact Club where she organized the “Bald for Bucks” Campaign, acted as Student Council Vice-President, and the Young Blood for Life Peer Recruiter for Canadian Blood Services where she increased blood donations within her school. This year, Alyssa has volunteered with Volunteer Lethbridge as the Leaders of Tomorrow SCiP Intern where she has assisted with the overall organization of the event. She also volunteers at Gift Wrapping and the Summer Colour Fun Run.

The Leaders of Tomorrow program began in 1997 and has grown over the years. Since its launch, the program has recognized 1,825 young people, including 74 nominees being recognized at the 2015 event.

UNews - Volunteer Lethbridge

Congratulations to our Leaders of Tomorrow award winners

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