National Volunteer Week April 10-16, 2011
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2011 • THE NEWS • WWW.HAMILTONNEWS.COM •
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Agency enriches lives through volunteerism Volunteer Hamilton operations co-ordinator makes connections BY DEBRA DOWNEY SENIOR EDITOR
Volunteer Hamilton operations co-ordinator Barbara Klimstra has exceptional skills at connecting people. Through leadership, education and advocacy Klimstra has linked organizations, businesses and individuals in embracing volunteerism for the past two years. She has connected people and organizations to successfully stage Volunteer Hamilton’s two largest fundraisers — All That Rock and the Community Builders Breakfast. And, on a personal basis, she has irrevocably joined Hamilton, Ontario, with Hamilton, New Zealand, on the Klimstra family tree. Established in 1963, Volunteer Hamilton has more than 40 years experience in facili-
tating and supporting volunteer activity. The organization has more than 130 member agencies, with the number always climbing, and about 10,000 volunteer opportunities currently available — everything from office support to driving, coaching and canvassing, mentoring and music.
“Although I have been asked the same question a lot of time, it’s a different person asking it.” Barbara Klimstra The mission All Lives Enriched Through Volunteerism guides Klimstra and other staff members who work at the downtown Hamilton office. Klimstra said there is no average age of people who use Volunteer Hamilton’s services. Clients could be teens looking to get their 40-hour community service credit, people
THANK YOU
Visit: www. hamilton news.com
Royal Botanical Gardens owes a great deal of gratitude to our hundreds of volunteers and exceptional Auxiliary now in their 50th year and our committee members for the thousands of hours of dedicated service over the past and previous years. Your commitment, passion and spirit as ambassadors is truly remarkable and help make the Gardens a spectacular and memorable place to visit.
TO BECOME A VOLUNTEER please call 905-577-7771 or visit www.rbg.ca RBG Centre, 680 Plains Road West, Hamilton/Burlington
who are unemployed but want to remain involved in the community or retirees hoping to keep active. “No day is the same. Every day is different,” said Klimstra. “Although I have been asked the same question a lot of times, it’s a different person asking it.” “I just love being here, helping people to connect to volunteer activities, and helping them find an opportunity where they know they are going to be helpful and useful, and a meaningful experience for them.” Along with connecting agencies and volunteers through the user-friendly website at www.volunteerhamilton.on.ca, Volunteer Hamilton provides mentoring services, answers questions from the public and hosts workshops on a variety of volunteer-related topics. With funding from the City of Hamilton and the United Way, Volunteer Hamilton also runs two longstanding programs — Snow Angels, which last year connected 237 service recipients with 162 volunteer shovellers, and the Bay Area Leadership program at Mohawk College. Volunteer Hamilton representatives also visit schools and community groups to present Volunteer 101, a PowerPoint presentation designed to educate potential volunteers and agencies that need assistance. With today’s economic climate, Klimstra said Volunteer Hamilton is also thinking strategically by sharing space at 267 King St. E. with Hamilton Volunteer Probation Officers and the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion. With a spacious area open to the public, Volunteer Hamilton also makes its premises available to groups for presentations and special events. And with all these professional connecting skills, it comes as no surprise that Klimstra undoubtedly made the biggest link of her life the day she “connected” online from her native Hamilton, New Zealand, with a gentlemen from Hamilton, Ontario. He was looking for someone to talk to in Hamilton. Eventually, the pair sorted out the miscommunication over Hamilton, met and married. Before moving to Ontario, Klimstra worked in senior management at a major corporation in New Zealand. Because of her professional skills, Volunteer Hamilton was a
PHOTO BY DEBRA DOWNEY
In her professional and personal life, Volunteer Hamilton operations co-ordinator Barbara Klimstra has exceptional skills at connecting people. “natural choice” to volunteer when she arrived in Canada. Klimstra volunteered twice a week, working reception and answering phones, before being hired as operations co-ordinator. “I love living here,” said Klimstra, adding Hamilton, Ontario, is a lot like Hamilton, New Zealand, in that the marvels of the city are often overshadowed by a nearby, larger urban area. “Hamilton, Ontario, like Hamilton, New Zealand, is a hidden gem,” she said. “Most people bypass them, but don’t pass by between Niagara Falls and Toronto. Call in to Hamilton and see it, it’s really a beautiful place.” For more information on Volunteer Hamilton and its services, call 905-523-4444 or visit www.volunteerhamilton.on.ca.
Ancaster Community Services would like to sincerely thank all of their wonderful volunteers for their generous contributions to the following programs:
ANCASTER COMMUNITY SERVICES
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Board of Directors Meals on Wheels Volunteer Assisted Driving Office Support
• Let’s Do Lunch • Christmas Outreach • Community Links Golf Tournament - Wednesday, June 8th 2011
300 Wilson Street East (Ancaster Square)
Our community is such a great place to live because of caring people like you.
www.ancastercommunityservices.ca
THANK YOU!
905-648-6675