Mommy (or Daddy) volunteers

Last Friday afternoon I started volunteering with Plan Canada (formerly Foster Parents Plan). I decided to do this mainly because one can only walk around malls so many times a week before one runs into questions of existentialism. During those 3 hours, I stuffed envelopes containing pictures and information about the child that the recipient (sponsor) was sponsoring. Other than being overwhelmed by the grand scale of goodwill of my fellow Canadians (there are alot of Canadians sponsoring children overseas!), I also enjoyed a nice afternoon chatting with new friends and feeling productive. It's a great way to ease back into the workforce for those who will be returning back to work soon, but it's also a great way to make contacts for those who are looking for work after staying at home with their child(ren) for a number of years. Still, it's great for those people who just want to do something different, and beneficial to society, a few hours a week.

I am lucky to be able to have my husband look after Bella while I do this but I thought, "aren't there other moms (or dads) who would like to volunteer as well but who's going to look after their kids while they do this?" Then I thought wouldn't it be great if there was some sort of mommy volunteer group who can coordinate volunteer opportunities with agencies who can accomodate volunteers with children? Someone who can be the liaison between the organizations and the mommies (and daddies!) who want to volunteer? I can be that person!

So if there are mommies and daddies with children out there who want to volunteer a few hours a week with a worthwhile agency in the Toronto area, email me at sophia@chancombrink.net I have already sent an email to the Volunteer Centre of Toronto to see if they would be interested in helping out with this idea. Will keep you posted on this blog.