Annual Report 2013

2013 ANNUAL REPORT
VOLUNTEER OTTAWA
Empowering & connecting volunteers
Strengthening & building our community
2013 ANNUAL REPORT
VOLUNTEER OTTAWA
363 Coventry Road
Ottawa (ON), K1K 2C5
T: 613-736-5270
F: 613-736-5262
www.volunteerottawa.ca
info@volunteerottawa.ca
VOSCARS 2013
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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR...
As always, I would like to start by thanking the staff and Board for their
dedication and their commitment to both the organization and to the
Ottawa community as a whole. This dedication and commitment comes
to life in the excellence of the services and programs that we provide.
Board turnover occurs every year, and this year we welcomed Heather
Badenoch, Adam Day, Gavin Lumsden and Candace Denison to the
Board in May of 2013. Unfortunately, Candace Denison was unable to
complete her term as she was lured west with an exciting job opportunity.
We wish her well in her new endeavours.
2013 was a very busy year for the Board of Directors. The Board
completed what we believe is one of the strongest strategic plans Volunteer Ottawa has had in many years. One key initiative of that plan is the
development of a fundraising plan. I am pleased to report that the fundraising plan is complete and has received Board approval. Margo Nelson
and Nicole Belanger took on this daunting task managing a large group of
volunteers divided into several subcommittees. And they are leading ably
the development of the communications plan, another key initiative of our
strategic plan. We cannot thank them enough, nor can we thank enough
the tireless efforts of Will Coukell, Executive Director and staff who contributed and who continue to contribute their expertise in concert with the
Board and other volunteers.
The strategic plan will allow Volunteer Ottawa to continue supporting the
not-for profit sector in multiple ways, from education through to promoting
volunteerism. As well, we look forward to exploring new ways and
opportunities for growth and change, as the non-profit community itself
grows and changes.
Volunteer Ottawa held the third annual VOscars this past fall. This great
fundraising event celebrating volunteerism in our community continues to
grow. Through this event, we witness the selfless dedication of so many
people in so many parts of our community.
Claudia Newman
CHAIR
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23
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR…
VOLUNTEER OTTAWA
STATEMENT OF REVENUE AND EXPENSES
As at December 31, 2013
2013
2012
REVENUE
United Way Allocation
$
216,241.00
$
223,141.00
Community Foundation Allocation
$
39,550.00
$
81,762.00
Corporate Sponsorships & Program Funding
$
$
161,309.00
Donations and Fundraising
$
55,365.00
$
38,761.00
Memberships, Tuition and Training
$
57,532.00
$
51,161.00
Miscellaneous
$
4,215.00
$
7,242.00
$
459,589.00
$
563,376.00
86,686.00
2013 was an extremely busy year for the staff of Volunteer Ottawa.
First, we launched VolunteerOttawa 2.0, our new and improved web
site; our database is growing so large and complex that we needed
to move to another platform to support the growth. We also worked
along with Board members on the first fundraising plan in VO’s
history, and hired our fundraiser, Pat Shapiro.
My hope is that by improving how we do business, we can improve
how our members do business. That is why Volunteer Ottawa is
here; to ensure that nonprofits and charities in the Ottawa region are
able to provide their service at both the highest quality, but also with
the highest efficiency.
As we move together into the future, with changes in how we do
business and how we provide our much needed services. It is
important that we work together to ensure that Volunteer Ottawa is
providing the services that you need and the services that our
community needs.
I look forward to our future together.
EXPENSES
William Coukell
Executive Director
Salaries and Benefits
$
346,761.00
$
411,691.00
Miscellaneous
$
58,087.00
$
65,479.00
Occupancy
$
62,396.00
$
62,396.00
Contractors
$
39,427.00
$
38,050.00
$
486,185.00
$
577,616.00
EXCESS OF REVENUE OVER EXPENSES
22
-$ 26,596.00
-$
14,240.00
3
MEMBERSHIP SERVICES
STAFF MEMBERS
In 2013 Volunteer Ottawa served over 259 member organizations. The majority (90%) have
joined with comprehensive (full) memberships. Our membership is representative of a wide
variety of organizations, from small community groups formed by civic minded citizens to
volunteer departments located in larger institutions, such as hospitals. Arts/Culture, seniors
services, environmental organizations, services for those with disabilities, children’s services,
sports organizations, community health centers, animal welfare organizations and international
agencies have memberships, providing prospective volunteers with a wide selection of organizations and opportunities to choose from.
William Coukell
Paula Coons
Mark Hughes
Shelley Ann Morris
Ulyana Zanevych
Rose Anne Leonard
Vasilinka Tsar
Patricia Shapiro
Nik Mechanda
Sarah Swan
Hartley Butler George*
Joan Anderson*
Bridget Vickers*
Program Highlights

Thirty-five new organizations joined Volunteer Ottawa in 2013.

Make the Most of your Membership (MMM) with Volunteer Ottawa is a 90-minute
presentation that is offered to those who are new to Volunteer Ottawa. The
presentation is offered ten times per year and provides an excellent opportunity for
member representatives to learn about the many services available to them.

The Volunteer Round Up (VRU) appeared in the “UP Beat” section of the Saturday
Ottawa Citizen every week in 2013.

In 2013 Volunteer Ottawa took part in more than 35 speaking engagements, fairs,
marketplaces, and public events. Collectively, our Speaker/Display team gave more
than 100 volunteer hours to spread the word about the importance of volunteerism in
our community. Approximately 1,400 people received information about volunteering.
The Speaker/Display booth team bid farewell to three of it’s members who had
successfully found employment.

In partnership with United Way Ottawa, we held one Community Action Day on
December 5, 2013. Thanks to the collaborative effort of both Volunteer Ottawa and
United Way Ottawa, there were 33 projects with 440 workplace and community
volunteers participating.
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Executive Director
Manager, Programs and Finance
Manager, Web and Communications
Coordinator, Membership Services
Coordinator, Community Engagement Program
Education Associate
Office Coordinator
Development Coordinator
Coordinator, Education Services
ChangeTheWorld Coordinator
Manager, Web and Communications
Volunteer Coordinator and Development Assistant
ChangeTheWorld Coordinator
*Resigned in 2013
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
WEB COMMUNICATIONS AT VOLUNTEER OTTAWA
Executive
Directors
Claudia Newman, Chair
Dobrila Rancic-Moogk, Vice-Chair
Joseph Griffiths, Corporate Secretary
Adam Day, Treasurer
Keira Torkko, Treasurer*
Naomi Morisawa, De Koven, Past-Chair*
Christopher Dore
Gavin Lumsden
Heather Badenoch
Heidi Hauver
Margo Nelson
Nicole Belanger
Sharron McIntyre
Stanley Janas
Amy Yee*
Canadace Denison*
*Resigned in 2013
2013 was a year of change and growth for the Volunteer Ottawa communications department.
We focused on streamlining information, engaging in conversation, and finding new ways to
connect and share our message. Our focus was finding the best ways to connect volunteers
with the volunteer opportunities on our website, and find new ways to connect with volunteers in
the Ottawa area.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Website: Based on user feedback, we completely overhauled our website throughout the
year and after exhaustive research and development, we launched our new website in September. We developed a website which can grow to serve the changing needs of Volunteer Ottawa
and create a strong platform for our members to connect with volunteers.
When we transitioned to a new website, our reporting tools changed. As such, we have a very
accurate picture of our website traffic from January 1, 2013 to October 1, 2013. At that point,
our website transitioned to a new reporting metric. From January 1, 2013 to October 1, 2013,
we had 90,000 visitors who viewed over 1 million pages! Let’s consider this: the classic novel
“War and Peace” is 1,225 pages long. That means the number of website page views is equivalent to reading “War and Peace” 815 times!
Social Media Leadership: We expanded our social media networks and continued to
grow our branding awareness strategy. In 2013, we nearly doubled our twitter followers from
5,821 in 2012 to 8,951 in 2013. Our Facebook page totaled 2,800 Facebook likes. Our blog was
viewed by over 17,000 people.
Online income: We still gained a modest income from Google Ads on all volunteer postings and we have introduced a search engine that permits us to gain additional income through
pay-per-click.
We continued to build relationships with our community technology partners and assessed the
needs of our member agencies. VO continued to explore new tools & ways of communicating
online through our tools and established networks.
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5
EDUCATION, TRAINING AND CONSULTATION
(MANAGEMENT OF VOLUNTEER RESOURCES AND
VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM)
Volunteer Ottawa’s Educational Services are dedicated to providing information, resources and
development opportunities to voluntary sector staff and volunteers (including Boards of
Directors and Committee members) so they can make effective decisions and demonstrate
dynamic and accountable leadership.
Thanks to community partners and consultants, Volunteer Ottawa continues to deliver quality,
affordable, community-oriented training and consulting services.
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VOLUNTEERS CONT’D
Nicole Belanger
Nikhil Mechanda
Nipa Farjana
Nisini Sandara Dias
Ousmane Amandou
Paul Astell
Paula Coons
Phred Hughes
Quan Dang
Rachel Chen
Rashari Henry
Renee Legault
Richard Desjardins
Ronald Frank Elmer
Ronald Saumure
Ronica Wong
Roxanne Holloway
Ruth Deme
Safiatou Yabre
Samantha Grills
Samantha Schultz
Sandra Paola Orellán Díaz
Sarah Brice
Sarah Hill
Scott Florence
Sharron McIntyre
Shefali Adhikari
Sheila Jenkins
Shelby-lyn Miller
Shelley Ann Morris
Shelley Morris
Sima Gabrielian
Sophia Jacob
Stanley Janas
Stephanie Joyal
Steven Lee
Sue Solomon-Morin
Susan Barr
Susan Murray
Tania Tack
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Terry and Raymond Cowan
Terry Cowan
Troy Brownlee
Victoria
Victoria Gautheir
Victorine Akpele
Viviane Rossini
Waleed Bin Faisal
Wendy
Yinting Wang
Yvonne Ackerman
Zaina Kahiel
Zoe Easton
VOLUNTEERS
(Administration, translation, library, interviews, peer mentors, speakers,
committee members, technology support, website, special
AL Connors
Adam Day
Alexandria Richards
Alisha noel Perreault
Ally Kolisnyk
Alvin Shawn Mailvaganam
Ama Uchelimafor
Amy Yee
Andrew Jordon
Angela Rheaume
Anita Pearce
Anna Cheung
Anne Craig
Arlene Laude
Barb Koppe
Barbara Rosenes
Beth Rintoul
Candace Denison
Carol Evoy
Caroline Freemantle
Caroline Frost
Caryn Wilson
Cathryn Wake
Cathy McGovern
Charles Li
Chelsea Dagenais
Chia-Chi Nicole LIU
Chris Dore
Christine Contant
Claire Marshall
Claudia Newman
Cliff Thornton
Cristina Dragulin
Daniel Braimoh
Darrel Outschoorn
Debbie Gilmer
Debi Zaret
Dobrila Rancic Moogk
Douglas Brierley
Elise Nsegre
Elizabeth Winklaar
Ene Tikovt
Felix Leclair
Florence Hearn
Fred DeRosa
Gabriela Foresti
Gavin Lumsden
George A.P. Kozoriz
Harrienne Rosenes
Heather Badenoch
Heidi Hauver
Ivon Doan
Jacqueline Tilgner
Jane Rowland
Janet Harris
Jennifer Foerster
Jo-Anne Hicks
Joanne Kilby-Coulas
Johanne Fulford
John Redins
Jonathan Lee Slew
Joseph Griffiths
Karen Harrison
Karen Torikko
Karen Wilson
Katherine Hampartzoumian
Katie Clarke
Kayla Fitch
Keira Torkko
Kelly Yang
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Kerry Coons
Kevin Liu
Kiana Choi
Kim Saikali
Kseniya Kozhina
Kyle Hemond
Lauren Ball
Layah Weinstock
Leona Campbell
Lillian Chen
Lisa Greenall
Lisa Kelleher
Lise Breau
Lorraine Joly
Lucile McGregor
Malak Jebara
Margo Nelson
Marie Theriault
Mark Ball
Mary Li
Mary Macies
Maya Pilin
McCay Duff LPP
Megan Brady
Michael Shabinsky
Milly Pang
Miranda Mercuri
Mirjana Adzija
Monica Fosado
Murshida Haider
Mustafa Popalzai
Nada Chaban
Naomi Morisawa De Koven
Natalia Rueda
Nerissa Bautista
Program Highlights
 In 2013, the Education program offered free workshops to Volunteer Ottawa member
organizations and community volunteers, including the following: Make the Most of
your Membership, The 3Rs of Volunteer Management, PREB Certification;
 Volunteering 101; and Leveraging your Volunteer Experience in your Job Search.
 Full curriculums of quality and affordable workshops were offered, including: Project
Management Training; Risk Management; Board Basics; Police Background Checks;
More than the PRC; Writing Good Web content and Managing Effective, Efficient and
Enjoyable Meetings.
 In 2013, partnerships were formed with the following:
 NPO PM Training to offer workshops on project management training with follow
up support;
 Centre d’action bénévole de Québec (CABQ) and Volunteer Canada where we
received certification to train our members on the use of the new PREB
software which allows trained members to become certified to create detailed
certificates for their volunteers.
 Volunteer Ottawa held 38 workshops with 562 attendees.
 The Education Program continues to support local community organizations through
learning opportunities such as conferences, needs assessments, customized
training, consultations and open workshops.
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VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM
The volunteer engagement program supports community organizations who would like to
diversify their volunteer pool and create more volunteer opportunities within our four focus
groups: Seniors/Retirees, people with disabilities, youth and new Canadians. The volunteer
engagement program was a pilot program that ended on March 31, 2013.
DURING 2013, WE WERE MEMBERS OF THE FOLLOWING:
Canadian Journal of Volunteer Resource Management (CJVRM)
GAIN (Associum Consulting)
Ontario Volunteer Centre Network (OVCN)
Ottawa Administrators of Volunteer Resources (OAVR)
Volunteer Canada
Program Highlights

Our Disability Awareness Training prepares member organizations (staff and volunteers)
to confidently serve and comfortably work alongside people with disabilities. In 2013 this
training was held for Volunteer Ottawa’s Speakers Bureau.

We held a "Diversify your Volunteer Pool" workshop for volunteer coordinators and
managers. This workshop was designed to demonstrate creative ways to recruit
volunteers with disabilities, retirees, new Canadians and youth.

The following presentations were held in 2013:

The Glebe Centre (Abbotsford): Why Positive and Active Aging and Volunteering Among
Seniors are Priorities

Multicultural Seniors Support Services – JFS: how to engage multicultural seniors in
volunteering

Ottawa University and Osgoode Township High School (for international students): How
to gain professional experience through volunteering
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THANK YOU COMMUNITY SUPPORTERS!
Absolute Comedy
Adam Day
Akran Marketing
Alison Trant
Anne Washington
Babbos Cucina Italiana
Basket & Bows
Bayshore Shopping Centre
Billings Bridge Shopping Centre
Body Shop St. Laurent
Brian Montgomery
Bridgehead
Brita Housez
Burke-Robertson
Bytown Sports & Entertainment
Canada Aviation Museum
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Canadian War Museum
Candace Denison
Carleton University
Christopher Doré
City of Ottawa, Voluntary Sector
Services
Claudia Newman
Coach House Shortbread Company
Commando Paintball
Community Foundation of Ottawa
Conam Charitable Foundation
Coralie Lalonde
Crabtree Foundation
Dana Wheeldon
David Aplin Group
David Burns and Associates
Dobrila Rancic Moogk
East India Company Ottawa Restaurant
Elgin Massage Therapy Clinic
Empower ME Yoga
Family Movie Trust Foundation
Fred Astaire Dance Studios
Gavin Lumsden
George Richmond
GGFL LLP
Harry P. Ward Foundation
Haunted Walks
Heather Badenoch
Heidi Hauver
Ian Burns - David Burns & Associates
Joseph Griffiths
Kathy Smart
Katsura Investments
Koffman Signs
Laura Daub
Lawrence Greenspon
Manotick's PepperMill
Margo Nelson
Martin Landry
Melinda Newman
Michael Hill ST Laurent Mall
Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration
Montgomery Asset Management
Morisawa De Koven Professional
Corporation
Morrison's
Moulin Wakefield Mill Inn and Spa
My Smile
National Arts Centre
NCA Associates
Nicole Belanger
Novotel Hotels
Ontario Trillium Foundation
Originals Show
Ottawa 67's Hockey Team
Ottawa Family Cinema
Ottawa Fury
Ottawa Race Weekend
Ouseley Hanvey Clipsham Deep
LLP
Pancho Villa Mexican Restaurant
Patricia Shapiro
Paul Boat Lines
Paul Robillard & Family
Pearls 4 Girls
Pure Yoga
Rainbow Cinemas
Raymonde Cowan Cards
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CORPORATE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM (CVP)
RBC Foundation
Recherché concept coiffure &
spa
Richcraft
Rideau Centre
Rinaldo's Hair & Esthetics
Roderick MacLean
Rogers TV
Sandra Pollack
SAP Canada
Savvy Company
Scotiabank
Sharron McIntyre
Signature Show
SIM Furniture
Stanley Janas
Starbucks on Bank and
Hopewell
Starbucks on Richmond
Stella Luna Gelato Café
Sue Morin
TD Canada Trust
Techsoup Canada
Terry Cowan
The Modern Shop
The Ottawa Citizen
The Table Restaurant
The Works - Westboro
Tim Hortons
Timeraiser
Toss Salon
TRAP Wilderness Art (Terry
Cowan)
United Way/Centraide Ottawa
Volunteer Canada
Welch LLP
Your Better Living Coach
ZaZaZa Pizza
Zengarry Vegetarian Cuisine
Volunteer Ottawa’s CVP program is designed to facilitate Ottawa area businesses and their
staff volunteering as a group. VO tries to meet the needs and goals of each corporate group’s
interest and capacity. The CVP program is a multi-level service program intended to encourage
and support the corporate sector in accessing meaningful group volunteer opportunities.
Program Highlights
In 2013, Volunteer Ottawa coordinated four corporate volunteer projects with SAP:

Canadian Blood Services (CBS) – Informed people about CBS and recruited donors
through an information sign-up booth at Rideau Centre. 124 potential donors signed up
and 36 appointments were made. Every donation made could impact 3 lives.

The Ottawa Food Bank – Sorted and organized donated food and prepared boxes to be
distributed to local food banks. We worked with 4 tons of food and 800 people were
impacted.

Planned Parenthood – Prepared safer sex packages for distribution in the community.
2880 packages were prepared which will protect 5760 people in the community.

Soup Sisters – Prepared soup to support women’s shelters and programs for youth in
crisis. 200 servings of nourishing soup were delivered to local shelters.
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YOUTH VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM
Volunteer Ottawa’s Youth Volunteer Initiative actively engaged young people of all abilities and
cultures by promoting volunteer activity among their peer groups. Meaningful volunteer
opportunities for Ottawa youth between the ages of 16 and 24 were fostered. New creative
communication tools were developed by youth and used to reach out to young people who
traditionally would not have been involved in their community.
The main goals of the youth program are: to increase the frequency and duration of youth
volunteerism by educating youth on the value and benefits of volunteering; to increase the
number of meaningful volunteer opportunities available to youth by coaching our member
organizations on the unique benefits of engaging youth; and to build the capacity of our
member organizations to effectively work with youth as volunteers.
Although our funding for the youth program ended in February of 2013, with the information we
gathered over the past three years, we were able to continue to support youth in a variety of
ways throughout the year.
Program Highlights

In February of 2013 we held first ever “Virtual Volunteer Fair”, An innovative and interactive online tool to help our member organizations meet, speak with and
recruit volunteers without leaving their office. Volunteers were able to learn about
organizations and message them through an online chat feature to get more information
about volunteer opportunities.

More than 550 of our new volunteer opportunities throughout the year were geared
towards youth.

We took part in the following during January and February of 2013:

Career class presentations about volunteering in Ottawa

Participation in the Youth Fair for Juku Konbit - Operation Come Home

Delivery of a custom presentation for teachers about involving youth in volunteerism at
the Carleton Place - Volunteer Forum

Volunteer Ottawa thanks the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their funding of this
initiative.
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Wrap ‘n Raise: Our annual gift wrapping event, which runs from December 1-24, was our
final fundraiser of the year, with over 100 volunteers wrapping presents at Billings Bridge Shopping Center throughout the month.
United Way Campaign: Volunteer Ottawa supports the Ottawa United Way annually
through fundraising to help raise money for their campaign. We held a bake & soup sale, and a
silent auction.
Volunteer Recognition: Our Volunteer Recognition Event was held at East India Company Ottawa Restaurant on Somerset Street with approximately 50 volunteers attending. These
volunteers support Volunteer Ottawa on our Board and Committees, in administration,
education, events and so much more. Congratulations to Janet Harris for winning the
“Volunteer of the Year Award” and Dobrila Rancic Moogk for winning the “Outstanding
Contribution Award”. We added a new certificate this year to thank an outstanding volunteer for
their incredible support with the VOscars. Congratulations to both Heidi Hauver and April Davidson for receiving the “Event Volunteer Certificate”.
AGM: Our Annual General Meeting was held at Volunteer Ottawa’s new offices at 363
Coventry Road with thirty-two people in attendance. Our Executive Director, William Coukell
presented our guests with the changes to our proposed new website.
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EVENTS AT VOLUNTEER OTTAWA
VOscars: Volunteer Oscars… Amazing! With close to 200 people in attendance, we held our
third annual “VOscars” Gala Fundraiser and Awards Ceremony on September 26, 2013 at the
Canada Aviation and Space Museum. We recognized those who raise awareness of; provide
innovation in ; and encourage volunteering in the community. We had an extensive silent
auction, delicious dinner, amazing talent and an awards ceremony enjoyed by 200 guests.
Congratulations to Grete Hale, the recipient of our 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award (past
recipients include Max Keeping and Lawrence Greenspon). CBC’s Adrian Harewood hosted
this very successful event. Our nominees and recipients of the evening were an amazing group
of individuals who showed us how strong the volunteer sector really is!


“What an inspiring evening! I was pleased to be able to attend the VOscars and
enjoy the ambiance, people, food and all the extras you incorporated into the
evening.”
“The evening was delightful if not magical. All the staff and the volunteers really
made the experience memorable.”
Toast of the Season Wine Tasting & Art Sale: Held at our offices at 363 Coventry Road.
More than 50 guests attended to taste the hottest wines of the season and learn how to pair
them with food. Wines were paired with delicious savory and sweet shortbread from our
sponsor Coach House Shortbread Co. Our Sommelier, Dobrila Rancic Moogk held an amazing
presentation. Four wonderfully talented local artists joined us this year and donated a
percentage of their sales to Volunteer Ottawa.
CHANGETHEWORLD: ONTARIO YOUTH VOLUNTEER
CHALLENGE
ChangeTheWorld is an Ontario-wide campaign with the goal of getting high school students to
volunteer in their communities. With funding from the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and
Immigration and run in partnership with the Ontario Volunteer Centre Network, Volunteer
Ottawa is one of 23 Volunteer Centres putting the campaign into action across the province.
In 2013, the campaign increased to four weeks, and ran from April 21 to May 19. In spite of
provincial labour disputes which saw teachers working-to-rule (and unable to volunteer to
support some student initiatives which they may have liked to do), there was still an increase in
number of student positions and volunteer hours recorded during the ChangeTheWorld
campaign.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS



2,841 students contributed 8,523 volunteer hours during City of Ottawa’s Cleaning
the Capital
607 Students at Carine Wilson SS, Hilcrest HS, and St Patrick’s CHS, raised
$60,000, $34,745, and $19,200, respectively, for cancer research, through 7,100
volunteer hours.
1,229 student contributed 4,748 volunteer hours to 8 local races (runs, walks, cycles)
Each year, since the campaign’s inception, seven years ago, our relationships with, and
participation from, both community organizations and high schools has strengthened, and our
recorded number of student volunteer hours during ChangeTheWorld has increased.
Year
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
14
# of Weeks
1
1
3
3
3
4
Volunteer
Hours
55
2,232
2,918
3,740
25,355
29,088
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12
13