December 8, 2014

The Board of Directors from the Medicine Hat Volunteer Centre recently donated over $19,000 to be put towards providing financial support to students enrolled in the social work, addictions counselling, occupational/physical therapist assistant as well as paramedics program at Medicine Hat College (MHC). Each year, the interest off the endowment will warrant a scholarship

Shirley Jago, former president of the Medicine Hat Volunteer Centre board explains that after the Centre had closed its doors in 2012, donating the remaining funds to the college seemed like the perfect fit.

“We knew we wanted the money to stay in the community and we wanted to still be able to promote volunteerism,” says Jago. “We thought the best way to do that would be through the college, so we set up an endowment, with the criteria that the successful candidate would be selected based on volunteer work.”

Jago says that they are looking for students who have built volunteerism into their life versus only doing the prerequisite hours.

“We chose these programs because these are the individuals who will be working directly with volunteers as part of their careers. It’s important they see the value and benefits of volunteering and keep the giving going.”

A single mom, Jago explains that volunteering has always been an integral part of her family’s life.

“I wasn’t in a position to give money, as I could never afford it, but I always had extra time, so volunteering was my way of starting to give back,” says Jago. ”It also allowed me to spend time with my daughter. It was a win-win situation, she learned some skills, got to work with adults and she became very passionate about various causes.” 

Jago also encourages other organizations to donate to the Volunteer Centre Fund. This fund has been started at the college, to increase the amount of scholarships that can be given to students in these programs.

“This is one way in which we can reward the students for a job well-done and hopefully encourage others to share their time, ideas, energy and passion with organizations that require assistance,” says Jago. “Volunteering is not only huge for a community but as well local businesses. The more people are involved and connected to these organizations the better their skills as well as desire to stay and work here.”

Although the Medicine Hat Volunteer Centre is no longer able to facilitate the match-making process between volunteers and non-profit organizations, Jago encourage individuals interested in volunteering to consider what their passion is and directly approach an organization that aligns with their values. That synergy will prove beneficial for both the volunteer and the organization.

If you are interested in donating to the Volunteer Centre Fund contact the Foundation Office. Tracy Stroud can be reached at 403.502.8997 or tstroud@mhc.ab.ca and Jennifer Kerslake at 403.529.3897 or jkerslake@mhc.ab.ca.  

For more information on the Foundation Office and their ongoing projects visit www.mhc.ab.ca.