By Brian Konrad

Community Foundation of Southeastern Alberta working to bring volunteers and opportunities together

Nov 1, 2020 | 9:37 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Medicine Hat has a reputation as a place where people love to volunteer, and a new grant from Family Community Support Services has allowed for the creation of a volunteer coordinator at the Community Foundation of Southeastern Alberta.

Sydney Ratzlaff has been in her new position since July 1.

She says the purpose of her position as Volunteer Coordinator is to launch programs that will be volunteer-run, to help bring the community together, help fight isolation and to give back during the pandemic.

She adds that volunteering is a good way people can get connected, help cope, feel motivated and learn new skills.

Two volunteer opportunities are currently underway.

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The Keep in Touch Program involves making phone calls to people who are feeling isolated and lonely.

Ratzlaff says that program has been well received, to the point where she no longer has to advertise for volunteers.

“The volunteers keep coming,” says Ratzlaff. “More and people hear about it and they just want to find ways they can give back and help out”,

The other opportunity is a Pen Pal program that links seniors with students, who write letters back and forth to one another.

The final touches are also being put on a campaign that will begin in November.

The Community Foundation of Southeastern Alberta is partnering with JustServe.org to develop a pamphlet that will list organizations with volunteer activities on one side, with emergency resources listed on the other side.

Ratzlaff says JustServe.org is “a website like an online bulletin board essentially. Volunteers can go to the website and read about opportunities, create a profile, and read about each opportunity with any non-profit that posts on there, then apply for roles that interest them.”

Boylan Imaging is helping with the development of the pamphlet, which will be in the form of a two-sided door hanger that will be left on doorsteps in Medicine Hat next month.

Ratzlaff says volunteers will be needed to take part in distributing the door hangers.

To take part in this effort or for more information on this or other volunteer opportunities with the Community Foundation of Southeastern Alberta, Ratzlaff says you can call 403-527-9038 or go to their website at www.cfsea.ca.