It’s National Volunteer Week. So many organizations and local businesses rely on their volunteers to function on a day to day basis to function. They play an essential role in all industries and the significance of their service needs to be recognized.
The Coquitlam Express are a Junior A ice hockey team that rely on their volunteers to facilitate their games. Their volunteers help with various roles like security, technical aspects, the marketing department etc. Rick Nelson, Director of Events for the Coquitlam Express was asked about the capacity in which the volunteers help and he replied:
“The volunteers that work at the box office, the volunteers that you know.. work security.. make sure that you know, nobody’s trying to sneak in and stuff like that. The people that run our score clocks… they’re all volunteers and without them, we’d have nothing.”
The time and dedication put in by volunteers has not gone unnoticed. They have all contributed to the learning and development of young athletes to help them succeed.
We cannot thank our fans, billets, volunteers and our sponsors enough for the amazing support this season.
You have helped us build a foundation this season. A foundation that we are all very proud of. Our commitment to you is that we will continue to build on it.
THANK YOU! pic.twitter.com/aeAvixPWjP
— Coquitlam Express (@BCHLExpress) April 11, 2022
Volunteering can be a great way to connect with people from a community. Rick Nelson was asked about the impact volunteers have had in the process of putting these games together, he replied:
“Without the volunteers, we’d be helpless. Me… myself, in dealing with the volunteers this season… they’ve been tremendous and without them we couldn’t have pulled off anything that we did this year.”
It’s clear to see that volunteers are the foundation to the success of the Coquitlam Express. The same can be said for all volunteers who give their time and energy to their communities. Although volunteers are appreciated this week, they deserve to be recognized for their contributions throughout the year.