Volunteers are the BEST!

I have been working in the victim movement and victim services in one capacity or another for over 30 years. I have worked in a very small advocacy group (where at one point I was the only employee), the federal government (where it was just me, an acting Director and an acting receptionist on day one), local victim services and with MADD Canada since 2015.

But I started out as a volunteer. When I graduated from Carleton University in 1993, I called Victims of Violence to inquire about volunteer opportunities. Victims of Violence was started by Gary and Sharon Rosenfeldt after their son, Daryn, was murdered by serial killer Clifford Olson in British Columbia (BC). Olson murdered 11 children in the Lower Mainland of BC between 1980 and 1981.

The Rosenfeldts dedicated their lives to victims’ rights and justice reform and eventually moved to Ottawa where they thought they could be more effective in influencing the federal government. Victims of Violence was one of the first groups of its kind and was the longest-running.

?I ended up doing research and writing some policy papers, one on a National Victims’ Bill of Rights and another on the need for a National DNA Databank. Canada now has both and to be clear, my policy papers had nothing to do with either.

I owe so much of my career to my decision to make that phone call that day and the Rosenfeldts’ willingness to accept me as a volunteer. I learned so much from them and the opportunities they gave me.

It is kind of ironic that I am now part of a national organization that includes hundreds of volunteers from across the country. MADD Canada is a grassroots organization that was started by volunteers and its successes in terms of its growth, its impact and its services are because of our volunteers.

We have volunteers who have been with MADD Canada for over 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, 25 years and yes, some who have been with us for over 30 years! These folks spend their weekends organizing events in their communities to raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving. They attend Board meetings during the week. They speak to local politicians, students and community groups. They go with their local police services to do sobriety checkstops, sometimes in the freezing cold when they might rather be home under a few blankets. ??

You have seen some of them on your nightly news or local paper. Maybe you have met them at a sobriety checkstop. You don’t see the hours spent at their local Chapters planning events, managing finances and recruiting new volunteers. Our National Board of Directors are also volunteers who share their expertise and experience, providing guidance and direction to the staff.

I have met so many amazing people who found a home with MADD Canada and countless others who came before my time with the organization and pioneered the way.

Our National President, Tanya Hansen Pratt, started out as a volunteer. Tanya first reached out to her local Chapter, MADD Winnipeg, one month after her mother, Beryl, was struck and killed by a 19-year-old impaired driver in 1999.

Tanya wanted to do something to honour her mom and to help spare others from suffering this kind of senseless loss. She served in various volunteer roles including Chapter President. In 2005, she stepped back to focus on her family and to figure out how to be a mom without her own mom.?

But MADD Canada was never far from Tanya’s heart and she returned as an active volunteer in 2018. When she applied to be MADD Canada’s National President, Tanya said “I wanted to be the same source of support, strength, courage, and inspiration that past presidents have been to me. Being able to give back to an organization that has already done so much for me is an honour, and hopefully a fitting legacy for my mom, who always taught me that to give was better than to receive.” ?

While volunteering with MADD Winnipeg, Tanya was also busy working in the HVAC industry before changing careers to become an instructor at Red River College Polytechnic in 2021, where she is an alumnus in Mechanical Engineering Technology. She is also a former Deputy Commanding Officer for the Royal Canadian Air Force Cadet Instructor’s Cadre. And if that is not enough, she also volunteered for the Business and Professional Women of Manitoba and the Congress of Black Women of Manitoba.

And she is a mother of three, a wife, a sister and a friend.

Somehow, she found time to volunteer for MADD Canada despite her family commitments, education, and her professional duties. Because she believed in our mission. And that is the story of our volunteers – people who raise families, who have careers and who volunteer with other great organizations. They are busy people but they find time for MADD Canada.

To be a volunteer with MADD Canada, you don’t have to be a Chapter President or National President, and you don’t have to commit for decades. You also don’t have to have been directly impacted by impaired driving.

All you need is a commitment to our mission – to stop impaired driving and to support victims and survivors of this violent crime. And a desire to make your community safer. That looks different for different people – it may mean sitting on a Board of your local Chapter or helping out at local events in your community. There is no role too big or too small.?

Volunteer-based organizations are all experiencing challenges in recruiting and retaining volunteers and the pandemic enhanced these challenges. New volunteers may not want to commit to a new organization for an entire year and may want to test the waters. Current volunteers may burn out or their life circumstances change, or it is just time to say goodbye.?

MADD Canada is fortunate to have so many committed volunteers who have remained with us for so long and will continue to do so. But we invite more people to join our family, including those who may not have traditionally seen themselves represented in MADD Canada. As a grassroots organization, we want to represent our communities.

I have met so many volunteers who came to MADD Canada for different reasons but shared a commitment to fighting impaired driving. With a few exceptions, their experiences have been fulfilling and meaningful. They have made lifelong friends, connected with people in their communities and contributed to a movement that has saved lives, prevented injuries and supported victims and survivors.

Thirty years ago, my life changed because I asked to be a volunteer and Gary and Sharon said yes. Looking back, I think of the experiences I have had, including touring many of Canada’s federal prisons and attending dozens of parole hearings. I didn’t expect any of that when I volunteered – I just thought I could offer some help while I figured out the next steps in my life.

But most of all I think of the people I met – people who remain friends to this day. Volunteering is an amazing way to give back to your community, but it is also an amazing way to get something back for yourself. It doesn’t have to be either/or – in fact, it should be both.

Volunteering at MADD Canada is a place to give and to get…We need all the help we can get because impaired driving sadly remains a serious public safety issue.

If you are thinking about volunteering, please consider MADD Canada. It is a great cause and you will meet great people. For more information, check out madd.ca.

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