National Volunteer Week

If you have dollars to give, hooboy does your charity of choice ever need them now. Please give. But if finding two cents to rub together is the joke of the day? Share of yourself in a different way. This coming week, charities across Canada are honouring humans that help! Volunteer Canada notes, “Participating, contributing and volunteering helps to create connections, community and belonging.”

Canadian charities function in no small part because of the folks who believe in, and give their time to, them. Around here we have the happy luck of seeing the effects of this across the country. As April has unfolded we have seen hundreds of charity posts spreading gratitude for their volunteers.

Folks like you and I are at-the-ready to fix, haul, create, sort, drive, cook, sing, or slop out a horse stall. We clean riverbanks and transport wildlife. Some babysit and others run whole summer camps. We offer compassionate care in cancer clinics and diabetes classes. Some bravely champion human rights.

The Mayo Clinic gives us some clues about why this kind of caring keeps us coming back for more:

1. Volunteering improves physical and mental health.

2. It provides a sense of purpose and teaches valuable skills.

3. And it can nurture new and existing relationships.

Looking for a place to start your own volunteer experience?

Our little team here loves working alongside vehicle donors. Our business serves Canada-wide in this one specific way. In our down time we find places to give back by supporting the causes we personally love, too. For me, this comes in a couple of different shapes. For example, I sing in a “memory choir”. This unique non-profit is set up to match volunteers with folks living with memory loss in the form of dementia or Alzheimer’s. The science says that when we sing in community it’s super duper good for brain health and mental wellbeing. I have to admit, I joined the choir to volunteer for the sake of others, but the benefits for me have been unquantifiable!

Are you looking for a ready-made community built around volunteerism? This might be one place to start: “Volunteer Canada is leading the development of a comprehensive National Volunteer Action Strategy. That strategy will help to ensure that all people in Canada have pathways to participation that support the shifting ways people connect in their communities. We can support your organization with tools and resources to effectively engage community participation and support a broad range of diverse volunteers.”

A go-to hub for us here at Donate a Car Canada?

We LOVE CanadaHelps! Did you know that they champion over 80,000 charities on their website? If you already have a clear focus for where you would like to give your time and creativity, CanadaHelps can point you in the direction of the group or organization that needs you!

You can even take a boo at our “Charities” tab on our own home page. There you’ll find hundreds of charities that need Unique You. ‘Love animals? Your local SPCA or wildlife conservancy would love your support. ‘Drawn to hospital care? There’s a place for you with your local foundation. The same goes for libraries, health-based charities, and children’s groups. Volunteer with seniors, the theatre, or literacy advocates. Whatever caring cause you love, there’s a place for you.

Whether you are an individual, a faith group, a book club, or a business team, this is your time. Get out there and show Canada what you’ve got this National Volunteer Week!

The post Creative Giving | Pockets Full of Holes? Volunteer! appeared first on Donate A Car.

BBBS is 108 years old and going strong

…and they need you…

Big Brothers Big Sisters is ready to connect you to your mentor match! According to this Global News report, 15,000 youth are waiting for a big sister, or brother.

Check these stats:

Visit the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada site for some beautiful visuals on why mentoring matters. One affirming adult in a child’s life dramatically boosts their chances for healthy development.

Other ways to help

Volunteering time is not possible for everyone. There are so many other ways to ensure Big Brothers Big Sisters has the resources they need!

Of benefit to you and to the charity: donate your unused/unwanted car, truck, van, or motorcycle. Your running and ready truck may be re-sold as-is to the highest bidder. This will earn your charity hundreds (or thousands!) of dollars. Have an old clunker to get rid of? Our recycle method will result in a regionally-determined donation for the cause you love.

Either way? Free tow and a tax receipt for you, and cash-in-hand for charities like BBBS.

You are also invited to contact and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! From there, you’ll be able to keep up to date on our program as well as see posts that showcase our amazing donors and charities across the country!

The post Big Brothers Big Sisters appeared first on Donate A Car.