If you've ever wanted to volunteer for a charitable organization in Chatham-Kent, you now have the chance to learn more about what opportunities are currently available.
Chatham-Kent Public Library is hosting its first Virtual Volunteer Fair on Wednesday afternoon through Zoom.
Six local organizations will be in attendance including Chatham-Kent Hospice, St. Andrew’s Residence, Meals on Wheels Chatham-Kent, Habitat for Humanity Chatham-Kent, Chatham-Kent Victim Services, and Big Brothers Big Sisters Chatham-Kent. During the fair, attendees will be given the chance to learn more about what volunteer opportunities are available at each organization.
According to Library Technician Reference Amy Hillman, the idea for the volunteer fair has been in the works for a few months now and started after a conversation with one of the library managers.
"The conversation came up about how hard a time the volunteer organizations are having to bring in people to help support their services," she explained.
Hillman said the CKPL worked over the past month to put together the program and invite different local organizations to participate, which they were eager to do.
"The pandemic really put a lot of barriers up for people who would normally be out in the community contributing their time to these different organizations just because of the restrictions that were laid out," she said.
Hillman said she's hopeful that the fair will attract a wide variety of different residents including high school students who need to complete their volunteer hours, retirees and people who want to give back to their community but just don't know where to start.
"We'll hopefully be able to bring people together who wouldn't necessarily be volunteering in any other format but are willing to hear what's available to them," she said.
According to Hillman, the meeting will feature representatives from each of the six featured organizations who will discuss their current volunteer needs and give attendees a chance to make connections.
The virtual volunteer fair takes place on Wednesday at 3 p.m. Anyone interested in participating can register by contacting CKPL by phone at 519-354-2940, by text at 519-401-7174, on the CKPL Facebook page, by email at cklibrary@chatham-kent.ca or by speaking to library staff at a local branch.
Hillman added that anyone unable to attend can contact the library afterwards for more information.
"We're excited to do this," she said. "Hopefully, if our turn out is well, we hope to possibly do this again with another set of organizations so we can open up avenues for different possibilities for new volunteers for them too."
