Author Archives: Hari Suresh

Chasing your passion at BCIT

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The second week of a new semester at BCIT is coming to an end. There are so many new faces and familiar faces on campus (for those returning to BCIT). All students at BCIT are here for a reason. They chose BCIT because of its specialized programs.

Minghsun Lee is an architecture student who chose his program because he wanted to do something for the environment. “I feel like the major crisis for today’s world is climate change and global warming.”

BCIT is the home for innovative interactions between students and teachers. It is the institute for people who want to change the world for the better. There are rigorous schedules and courses that make or break students but those who endure the challenges and keep pushing on through sheer determination and focus are on the path to achieving their dream jobs.

What is their motivation? What is their “why?”

Lee’s motivation for taking the architecture program at BCIT is understandable and even admirable. His passion to play a role in finding an answer to global warming is very evident in his tone.

“We have to figure that out otherwise think about our future generations.. what kind of world we want our future generation to live in.”

People come to BCIT with their aspirations, and throughout the duration of their courses here, they learn about the field of work that they’re about to enter. They enter their chosen workforce with a sense of purpose and skills that are refined over their time at BCIT. This is what makes them stand out from the others.

Growing Chefs – Volunteer Week

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Growing Chefs is a local charity that runs a food literacy program in elementary school throughout the Lower Mainland. It was started way back in 2005 by a professional chef that realized that there was kind of a lack of connection to our food and our food knowledge in the broader community. There were some chefs in restaurants that wanted to volunteer their time, skills and knowledge to share that particularly with children.

The Program Director, Amanda Adams said this about the role of volunteers in their organization:

“We’re a fairly small charity. We have about five staff right now but have over 200 volunteers that helps us actually deliver our program. So our programming would not be possible if it weren’t for our incredible volunteers that help us actually deliver our program and build those community connections. They’re really the heart and soul of our organization.”

The proactive effort from volunteers at Growing Chefs is one of the main reasons why the organization is able to function the way it does.

The founder, Chef Merri Schwartz was a professional pastry chef and she’s still a member of the board who is actively engaged with the organization. According to the Program Director, Amanda Adams, this is the purpose of Growing Chefs is as follows:

“So we recognize that there are too many kids that don’t have access to healthy food and aren’t connected to the food they’re eating, where it comes from, how it’s prepared and so we really want to build stronger connections between kids and the food they’re eating, to help build a strong sustainable food system for the future and ensure healthy, sustainable food for individuals, communities and our broader environment.”

Growing Chefs is a treasure to the community it serves. They are inspiring the future generation to take better care of their health and to pay more attention to the food that they’re consuming.

Burnaby Neighbourhood House – Volunteer Week

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The Burnaby Neighbourhood House is a community-driven and community funded agency with a unique focus on neighbours supporting neighbours. They address neighbourhood needs by providing a wide range of programs that promote social connections and belonging. Janet, who works closely with the volunteers, was asked how the volunteers contribute to this organization and she said:

“They have contributed 100’s of hours in various programs. Like our food banks, digital cafes, shopping and delivering groceries for seniors, leading community programs, doing meal programs for seniors as well and assisting with special events.. fundraising events.”

Participating or volunteering at an organization like this enables a person to interact and connect with other members of the neighbourhood.

The services they provide are carried out by volunteers from the neighbourhood who are eager to be involved with their communities. Janet was asked if the agency could function without their volunteers and she replied:

“It would be very difficult to run any of our programs without volunteers. I think volunteers are throughout our organization from our board, through every program actually. We can’t run our food banks without volunteers and yeah… almost all of our programs require volunteers to assist.”

Volunteering for a place like this is the perfect opportunity to give back to a community that you are part of.

Burnaby Hospice Society – Volunteer Week

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Burnaby Hospice Society is an organization that provides services to individuals and families going through the end-of-life journey. They established a thrift store in 2006 as another means of raising funds to support hospice palliative care. The organization relies on volunteers to carry out various roles like assisting customers at the thrift store, cashiering, organizing, assisting with palliative care, etc.

Kara Davies, the Palliative Volunteer Coordinator for Burnaby Hospice Society was asked about the impact of the volunteers on the organization and she replied:

“They’re vital to our operations. We could not run the place without them. We’re probably 95% run by volunteers.”

This organization is primarily run by volunteers and they provide special services that the society really needs.

The pandemic has caused issues for many individuals and businesses.Kara Davies was asked if COVID-19 has made it harder to find volunteers and she responded:

“Yes and no… I think the younger volunteers, they’re still very eager to volunteer. Some need it for their school requirements. Some of the older volunteers, maybe they’re a little bit hesitant to volunteer because of COVID but we’re hopeful that with COVID subsiding that they’re coming back out to volunteer again.”

There are a lot of negative things to come from the pandemic but it is reassuring to know that organizations like Burnaby Hospice Society have not been disheartened by the negativity and are still eager to do their best to serve their community.

Lower Mainland Purpose Society – Volunteer Week

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The Lower Mainland Purpose Society is a community-based organization that provides youth and families with a variety of programs that centre around education and health.

Here’s a short video about them:

Volunteers at Purpose Society help the organization by playing a vital role in the programs they have. Sanya Saxena, who works closely with the volunteers, had this to say when she was asked about the contribution of volunteers at Purpose Society:

“In general, volunteers help us with easing things out for us and doing something good for the society.”

Volunteers at Purpose society are responsible for different aspects of the organization. Some of the roles that volunteers take on are tutoring, cooking, assisting with creating posters or brochures, assisting with the children’s programs, food banks etc.

Sanya Saxena was asked why people should volunteer and she replied:

“Working for people, for the community, I think (is something) everybody should do”

Spending time with members of a society by trying to improve the living conditions for people is a clear display of empathy in action.

National Volunteer Week might be coming to end but the impact that volunteers have to an organization like Purpose Society is felt throughout the year, especially by those that rely on them.

National Volunteer Week 2022 – Coquitlam Express

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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.

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.