Through an organization like the Atonement Home, an infusion of willing hands, even for just one night, can make a huge difference in the lives of inner-city kids or women in crisis. That is how I ended up devoting a Monday night to empty milk cartons. This project is one of many I've embarked on with the University of Alberta Circle K Volunteer Club. The club sets up one-time volunteer projects for students who would like to help out but can't commit to volunteering every week. We've worked with organizations as diverse as the Edmonton Food Bank, the Elizabeth Fry Society, Uncles at Large, St. Joseph's Auxiliary Hospital, the Bissell Centre and the Cerebral Palsy Association of Alberta.
Every week there are new projects to try.
I love volunteering because it has thrown me into so many different situations. I've dressed up as a witch to play with children at the Kids with Cancer Scarecrow Festival. I've wrestled with a huge, fluffy duvet while wrapping gifts in return for donations to the Bissell Centre. I've cheered on and timed a group of very competitive oil company workers at the Cerebral Palsy Association's Stationary Bike Race. I've even had to hastily try to design a Christmas tree that could compete with all the other beautiful ones in the Festival of Trees last December.