November started on a High note with the Volunteer Appreciation Party and just kept going! As well as the great time we had on November 5th, we've been working hard to plan our holiday event, the Multicultural Children's Winter Celebration, and prepare for the coming year.
To learn more, scroll down or follow the links below:
- Pictures from the Volunteer Appreciation Party
- Multicultural Children's Winter Celebration
- December Holiday Breaks for Programs at VIRCS
- The Year Ahead - Volunteer Settlement Clinic Pilot Project
- The Year Ahead - Volunteer Income Tax Program
Pictures from the Volunteer Appreciation Party
Thank you everyone for coming to our Volunteer Appreciation Party on November 5th! It was a great afternoon of food, friends, and prizes. More than 100 people came out, including the President of the Board of Directors, Michael Deakin-Macey.
To show their appreciation, all food and preparations were made by VIRCS staff, although some volunteers had to be scolded for trying to help ;)
Click here for some great pictures!
Multicultural Children's Winter Celebration
2009 is the 7th year in a row we have hosted this great event! mark your calendars for December 19, from 1-3pm. The same as in previous years event will take place at the Central Baptist Church on 833 Pandora Avenue.
This year we are lucky to have great food, balloon animal makers, face painters, cookie decorating, dancing, and storytelling from around the world! Children and parents of all ages are welcome!
December Holiday Breaks for VIRCS Programs
December is a month full of holidays from many traditions, including Kwanzaa, Al-Hijra, Hannukah, Bodhi Day, and Christmas. VIRCS will remain open from Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm, except for December 11th (closed in the afternoon), and December 25th (closed all day).
However, many programs will be closing for part of December in recognition of the holidays. The following programs are taking a break in December:
- ESL Classes: last day of class is December 17th, returning on January 4th.
- Homework Club: last day is December 15th, returning on January 5th.
- Youth Activity Night: last night on December 16th, returning January 6th.
- I-Plan-It Social Night: last night December 17th, returning on January 7th.
- New Volunteer Orientations: last orientation December 7th, returning January 7th.
- Computer Skills Workshops: last workshop December 10th, return in January TBA.
The Year Ahead - Volunteer Settlement Clinic Pilot Project
Next year marks the beginning of the Volunteer Settlement Clinic Pilot. At VIRCS, our 3 Settlement Workers help over 1600 newcomers each year with housing, health, family issues, legal issues, translation, access to services, and immigration.
Over the past eight months, a small team of volunteers has been working closely with our Settlement Workers to develop training and guidelines for volunteers in order to provide more sustainable, one-on-one support.
In February, the pilot group will be ready to start helping, providing service to clients one-on-one with the help of trained staff. This pilot project will run until the end of April, when we will look at what we've learned, make any changes to better help, and begin training volunteers for the permanent clinic!
Starting in January, an update for this project will be posted here each month, including the intake dates for volunteers who want to help. Stay tuned!
The Year Ahead - Volunteer Income Tax Program
Thank you so much to those of you who have already offered to help out with this year's Volunteer Income Tax Program! With the help of Revenue Canada, each year VIRCS provides free income tax filing for low-income newcomers.
We will be starting official recruitment and orientations in January. Revenue Canada training in February, and open the first clinics in March. Please note that, while Revenue Canada generously provides both the software and training for all volunteers, volunteers must already have a working knowledge of the Canadian Tax system. This training is a great update on changes in the last few years and the use of the free software. We are not able to provide basic training on income tax in Canada.
To accommodate the schedules of professionals who would like to volunteer, this year again we will be offering our tax clinic in the evenings as well as some afternoons. Volunteers who complete 30 hours of service will be awarded a certificate of completion.
Thank you again everyone for volunteering, and have a great Holiday Season!
Sincerely,
Chris Geater
Volunteer Coordinator
