Volunteers from the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer.

By Government of Alberta

National Volunteer Week

Celebrating the power of Alberta’s volunteers

Apr 20, 2021 | 9:30 PM

Communities are celebrating the impacts of individual and collective acts of kindness during National Volunteer Week, April 18-24.

In recognition of Alberta’s volunteers, the province has provided funding to Volunteer Alberta to support micro-grants totalling $65,000 for 67 community celebrations. Instead of in-person gatherings and events, communities have alternate plans to mark the seven-day salute to volunteerism. These local efforts also help encourage volunteerism.

Alberta has one of the highest rates of volunteerism in Canada with 50 per cent of adult Albertans volunteering, which surpasses the national average of 44 per cent.

“From serving on a non-profit board, or helping provide supports to the homeless, to helping with a local bottle drive or bake sale, Alberta’s 1.6 million volunteers strengthen our communities in countless ways. Alberta’s volunteers are in every community, faith group and culture; from newcomers to our beautiful province to our first people who have been here for thousands of years. Our strong culture of caring has been elevated over the past year with volunteers of all ages and backgrounds stepping forward to help their friends and neighbours. Let’s celebrate the life-changing impact of their collective efforts and thank them during National Volunteer Week.” Leela Sharon Aheer, Minister of Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women

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• Highlight individuals, teams or projects by sharing volunteer stories through video and photos on social media or other platforms.
• Email a volunteer with a personalized thank you or provide gift cards for takeout from a local restaurant as a token of recognition.
• Write a reference letter for a volunteer who is applying for a job, internship or school program.
• Nominate an outstanding volunteer for an award such as Stars of Alberta or Alberta Northern Lights to recognize their efforts.

Volunteers are the foundation of many community organizations with limited or no paid staff. Alberta has more than 26,400 non-profit organizations and, each year, more than 1.6 million Albertans provide more than 262 million volunteer hours to support the non-profit and voluntary sector at a value of $5.6 billion.