Pop-up fair at WEM hopes to help potential volunteers find their ‘spark’

The Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations held a fair to help local non-profits find volunteers. CTV News Edmonton's Connor Hogg reports.

A volunteer fair was looking to match Edmontonians to their right fit for giving their time to a good cause at the West Edmonton Mall on Saturday.

The Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (ECVO) says it’s noted a decline in volunteerism over the years.

Two-thirds of the more than 40 groups at the pop-up event were struggling to find help that charities desperately rely on, said ECVO executive director Gemma Dunn. The pop-up’s mall location was meant to draw in people who may be willing to spend their time, not their money.

“Time is different for people, and also we’ve got an affordability crisis, so people are really having to make different decisions about their time and where their time is spent … so (organizations) are changing and shifting the way that they work with volunteers, how they create opportunities that might be different,” she said on Saturday.

Dunn said the drop in volunteerism could also be attributed to a number of generational and pandemic reasons, but hopes that finding an interest in a cause might help.

“When you see that moment, that spark, where you see somebody go, ‘Oh, that’s really going to fit for me,’ it’s a really good feeling.”

Tamara Greenwood with Dogs With Wings (DWW), which partners with child and youth advocacy centres to offer animal comforts in hard moments, was at the event with her four-legged friend Cora to pique interest.

“They can meet the pups and you can talk to the volunteers that have committed their time to doing this,” Greenwood said.

“You don’t realize as a volunteer, the impact that you’re making until you see where the dog goes, and then you’re super pumped about it, which makes you want to continue on volunteering again.”

Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack was also at Saturday’s event, as he credits volunteering for his start in politics.

“They’re what make the city run … If we didn’t have volunteers, you wouldn’t see half of what goes on in the City of Edmonton,” he said.

“When we remember that we’re part of a larger group, there is this sense of ownership of needing to help make a difference. And that’s what I love about it.”

More information about volunteer opportunities can be found on the ECVO website.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Connor Hogg