By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

BUDGET 2020: stayin' alive

Red Deer city council stands behind Volunteer Central

Jan 9, 2020 | 7:32 PM

If one city councillor had their way on Thursday, the $120,000 request for funding from Volunteer Central would have been cut from the 2020 Operating Budget.

Had that idea gained approval, the organization would be shutting down.

Councillor Vesna Higham, in an effort to ease the financial burden on taxpayers when resources are scarce, she stated, pitched the idea.

“This is with the greatest respect and regret because when I review the work accomplished, I commend the leadership of this organization for the significant contribution to our community, particularly (during) the Canada Winter Games,” Higham said.

“This is a budget where our public expects and demands council intentionally and judiciously parses out the priority needs versus the ‘nice to haves’ and wants. Unfortunately, Volunteer Central is not one of those high priority needs.”

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Higham noted, as well, that it was the provincial government which originally funded Volunteer Central, and when that funding was cut was when they sought out another source; the City.

Furthermore, she insisted that volunteerism in Red Deer would survive without Volunteer Central.

Councillor Ken Johnston, with emphasis, told his council colleagues this is not the way.

“Not a single one of us got here, or presented ourselves to the public without a volunteer resumé. Let us not cut off an agency, and tell them to pack it in, when they are in fact helping our own community survive in this time and build leadership we so desperately need,” he remarked.

“Volunteerism is the antidote to being cut off and disconnected. It gives meaning to the senior, to the teenager, and to the family looking to stay together.”

Johnston gave the example that even if Volunteer Central only recruited one volunteer per month for a year, the economic and social impact had by those dozen volunteers would far outweigh the $120,000 request. In reality, they recruit somewhere in the hundreds each year.

During the Canada Winter Games, Volunteer Central helped gather nearly 5,000 helpers for the event. On that point, Volunteer Central had anticipated taking advantage of the Canada Games legacy fund, but the Games’ books have not been closed, thus that grant is not yet available.

Higham’s motion to eliminate the funding was ultimately defeated in an 8-1 vote. It does come with a prevision that the City and Volunteer Central work together in 2020 to find other funding sources. That includes assistance with applying for FCSS dollars, a pot they’ve been denied access before.

Kay Kenny, board chair for Volunteer Central, expressed her gratitude for council’s backing.

“We do appreciate the robust debate and the support for Volunteer Central expressed by many council members,” Kenny said. “We certainly have worked very hard over the past number of years to diversify our funding and find sustainability. We are continuing to do that very actively.”

In 2019, the City helped Volunteer Central with ‘capacity building,’ which largely amounts to better tracking of the successes they have as an organization along the way. That type of data is crucial when applying for grants.

Currently, 115 organizations in Red Deer, Blackfalds, Lacombe, and Red Deer County, as well as a handful provincially, coordinate with Volunteer Central.