April 24-30 is National Volunteer Week! We recently celebrated CNH’s volunteers through a virtual Volunteer Appreciation Event to thank them for their dedication and generosity to the community.

With this year’s theme being “Volunteering is Empathy in Action,” Collingwood Neighbourhood House’s volunteers have shown this in droves by supporting our programs and services. As CNH continued to deal with the impact of the pandemic, the organization relied on the assistance of up to 900 volunteers.

Here are some stories from our staff—and the volunteers themselves—on how they took the extra mile to bring heart to the community.

From Dovana Singh, Better at Home, Navigation & Peer Support Coordinator:

Sometimes, things come up and volunteers can’t deliver on a given week. John never fails to answer my call and if he can, he’ll take on more deliveries that week to help out. John is an exemplary volunteer and our program simply wouldn’t exist in its current iteration without his feedback and suggestions. Our seniors absolutely adore him and so do we. He deserves a huge shout-out for his ongoing dedication and care for our community. 

When asked why he volunteers, John says, “[It’s] some small thing I can do to help make the world a better place.” Thank you, John!