Students who need to accumulate volunteer hours for their high school diplomas and organizations who need volunteer personnel can connect at a volunteer job fair Oct. 28.
The event will be held in the Great Hall of Laurentian University on Ramsey Lake Road from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The third annual fair, Bénéfoire/Benefair, organized by ACFO, Association canadienne-française de l'Ontario du grand Sudbury and their partners, Volunteer Sudbury and Laurentian University, is focused entirely on students this year, said Micheline Lajoie, chief executive officer of EDU-Cators, a private group helping to organize the event.
“Many community organizations will be on site to promote their services and facilitate the recruitment of new volunteers. The students will have the opportunity to meet with the volunteer co-ordinators in order to best match the volunteer needs of the associations with the student's talents and interests, helping the student complete his or her community service hours,” according to a press release.
Last year there was a volunteer fair for students and the general public in the evening, but organizers intend on organizing a public session later in 2010, said Lajoie.
Thirty five organizations participated last year, and hundreds of hours of hours of volunteer placements were logged as a result.
Organizations looking for help include Sudbury Regional Hospital, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Wild at Heart Wildlife rehabilitation centre, and the Centre de santé communautaire du Grand Sudbury, said Lajoie.
Organizers hope students will use the opportunity to not only meet their curriculum requirements but to continue to volunteer with the participating organizations.
As a community, Greater Sudbury scores high in terms of volunteering, said Diane Charette-Lavoie, manager of Volunteer Sudbury.
She referred to a Maclean's Magazine article published Aug. 28 2008 where Sudbury had the fourth highest rate of volunteer (activity) in Canada.
Sudbury had 56.9 percent of citizens who volunteered, beat only by Guelph (69.7 per cent), Kingston (61.5 per cent) and Fredericton New Brunswick (57.1 per cent).
“It is a very giving community (here). That is why our Benefair works as well as it does.”
There are still opportunities for organizations to book a kiosk. For more information contact Valérie Dalcourt or Serena Frattaruolo at 674-5896.
