Isn’t that a question you might ask yourself, when you’ve been asked to volunteer in your community, or to give someone a hand with a project of some sort? Being a volunteer does call for a commitment of time and energy to some degree, but there are some mighty payoffs for getting involved with groups like AIDS Calgary. This is my third year as a volunteer on the Board of Directors, and here are some of the rewards I enjoy:
Helping people = feeling good. It just seems like the right thing to do. AIDS Calgary itself doesn’t have needs; the people that we serve have needs. Many of us are lucky; to some extent we get to choose the life we lead and the world that we live it in. For the rest, sometimes getting a helping hand can go a long way, and might make a big difference in their world. Doesn’t that sound like a place you’d want to live in? If so, be involved with an agency like AIDS Calgary!
Engagement in my community. In my work life, I enjoy being a clinical pharmacist at the Southern Alberta Clinic for HIV/AIDS, where we provide the medical care for people infected with HIV. In my volunteer life, I get to have discussions about social issues like the stigma suffered by persons with HIV, how to try to help people learn about preventing infection, how to battle complacency….. and the list goes on! If people don’t have these discussions and try to generate change, then the community gets stuck and more people get harmed. Then more people end up seeing me back in my professional life at the clinic – and that’s a cycle that I would LOVE to break if I could!
Learning, all the time. HIV/AIDS forces us to keep up with so much information, about new treatments, complications of the disease, and social issues. In volunteering, I get to meet with other volunteers from all backgrounds: teachers, lawyers, grandmothers, business people, taxi drivers, and so on, and we all learn with and from each other. We all can share our knowledge and experiences, and help the movement through our relationships with others, both like-minded and different-minded. If you’re looking for a place to do that too, AIDS Calgary might have an opportunity for you!
April 19-25 is Volunteer Appreciation Week! On behalf of the Board of Directors, I thank all who devote time, energy and resources to help the clients and staff of our agency. You make a big difference in our community – make sure you tell your family, friends and co-workers that you do that, and encourage them to do the same!! In good health,
Jeff Kapler, Chair
Board of Directors
AIDS Calgary Awareness Association
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