April seventh to the 14^th is National Volunteer Week in Canada. To celebrate, we sat down with Blaire, Volunteer Program Coordinator, to ask her what makes our volunteers special.

What’s the best part about working with the volunteers?

“Honestly, it’s how enthusiastic the volunteers are to learn! They want to learn and help, and each of them has their own strengths that they bring to their role. Working with them has taught me to be more flexible and to understand that everyone has a different learning style. We teach each other when we work together!”

What do the volunteers bring to Operation Eyesight?

“They’re such a huge part of what we do! They’re the ones who make it possible to thank all our donors. They’re the ones writing all the thank you cards, making thank you phone calls to recent donors, they fold tax receipts and keep our office administration running. So much of our work is made possible by the work they do!”

What’s something unique about our volunteers?

“They’re from all walks of life – we have volunteers who are in high school, university, some of them are new moms, some are on disability, some of them are between jobs, seniors and so on. There is so much diversity among our volunteers, which means we get different perspectives and talents to draw from all the time. And they’re from all over the world, too!

A pleasant surprise is that some of our volunteers have found their own replacements when they leave, mostly for a job. They believe in the work they’re doing, and even though they have to move on to a different stage in their lives, they’ll refer a friend or family member to Operation Eyesight because they want to continue to be involved in some way and enjoyed their experience working on our team.”

What would you like to thank our volunteers for?

“For bringing joy to my work every day! They bring such good energy into the office when they come for their shifts. Even on Monday mornings when I’m still getting over the weekend, they come in cheerfully and brighten my day. They’re always an inspiration! And something I want them to know is that they are employees – they go through the same onboarding, they sign all the same paper work. They may be unpaid in money, but they’re paid in six figures – S-M-I-L-E-S. Not just our smiles here in the office, but in the bright-eyed smiles of the people whose lives are being changed with the gift of sight.”

Our volunteers do so much, and we can’t thank them enough. Happy National Volunteer Week to all volunteers out there – Thank you so much for all that you do!

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This means that ultimately we’re able to bring in more dollars for our cause and give the gift of sight to more people in need!

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This week is National Volunteer Week – a time to recognize, celebrate and thank Canadian volunteers. Operation Eyesight is fortunate to have a large group of wonderful volunteers who help in our head office in Calgary – many of them on a weekly basis. One of our dedicated weekly volunteers is Mona Soyland.

Mona first heard about Operation Eyesight at a social gathering. No longer able to work full time due to a medical condition, she was hoping to find an organization to volunteer with on a casual basis – and Operation Eyesight was just the place she was looking for!

“Volunteering is a way for me to contribute to society while I’m not working,” she says. “And Operation Eyesight is a great place to volunteer. Everyone’s welcoming and they make me feel like I’m part of the family.”

Since she started volunteering in January 2014, Mona has come to understand, believe and promote Operation Eyesight’s mission to eliminate avoidable blindness. Her volunteer support includes making donor thank you calls, updating the database, conducting research, working in booths at festivals, and even taking photos and editing videos.

While she has a knack for the more creative tasks, she enjoys helping in any way needed. “I like to look for the challenge and try new things,” she says. “If I want to learn, the staff are always there to answer my questions.”

Mona is a virtuoso when it comes to donor thank you calls. Her kindness and enthusiasm is enough to brighten anyone’s day.

“I’m always interested in why people donate to Operation Eyesight,” she explains. “I love hearing their stories, and I can usually tell on the phone if someone is going to be talkative or not.”

Donors often tell Mona that they appreciate Operation Eyesight’s careful use of donation money. “Operation Eyesight is a great organization that uses its funds wisely,” confirms Mona.

Mona says she would definitely recommend volunteering at Operation Eyesight to others. “It’s a great opportunity for those looking to challenge themselves,” she explains. “You can explore your limits from the office, or you can get involved with the festival side of things. And the best part is, the hours are flexible.”

Mona also volunteers with her condominium board, and she recently signed up to assist the visually impaired through the new “Be My Eyes” smartphone app. In her spare time she enjoys photography, watching movies, socializing with friends and travelling.

Thank you for being “part of the family,” Mona. We’re grateful to have compassionate and talented volunteers like you.

Happy Volunteer Week to all of our office volunteers: Alisha, Anita, Anjali, Jason, Jie, Joe, Joseph, Jueping, Laurie, Linda, Norma, Shreya and Sylvia. Also “thank you” to our youth club members, our school committee volunteers (Lisa and Sylvia) and our many festival workers!

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At Operation Eyesight, we are so grateful for our volunteers. Today we want to say “thank you” and “happy birthday” to one of our wonderful volunteers, Sylvia Constable!

Sylvia – who just celebrated her 72nd birthday yesterday! – has been volunteering with Operation Eyesight since she retired from nursing seven years ago. She visits our head office in Calgary every week to help fold tax receipts, write thank you cards and do filing as needed.

“Operation Eyesight is a very good organization to volunteer with,” says Sylvia. “I’ve always found everyone friendly and welcoming.”

Sylvia has been a loyal supporter since Operation Eyesight’s inception 50 years ago. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Calgary when Art Jenkyns, our founder, invited Dr. Ben Gullison to speak to their group about his work in Sompeta, India. It was Sylvia’s very own church that pledged money to support Dr. Ben’s initiative, setting the wheels in motion for what would soon become Operation Eyesight.

Sylvia always knew she wanted to volunteer for Operation Eyesight once she retired. “I like the way it’s set up,” she explains. “It’s small enough that you feel you’re a vital part of what’s going on.”

With her medical background, she has a soft spot for the work Operation Eyesight does to restore people’s sight and make their lives easier. While she recognizes that her work as a registered nurse here in Canada was more structured, she says that working out in the field as a community health worker takes a special person. “I understand that they have to be flexible,” she explains. “I admire the people that do it.”

Sylvia has lived and worked in Calgary, her hometown, for most of her life. She currently lives here with her 14-year-old cat, Sadie.

Sylvia also volunteers as a Catholic pastoral care worker at the Salvation Army Agapé Hospice and as a Eucharistic minister for St. Pius X Church, taking communion to patients and parishioners when they can no longer attend mass. And as if that were not enough, she volunteers weekly for the Belvedere Parkway School reading program.

“I like meeting people and doing things that matter, and you get that with volunteering,” she says.

When she’s not volunteering, Sylvia enjoys hiking, biking and travelling. Nowadays, she goes on short-haul trips but she’s travelled extensively to places like Great Britain, Sweden and Norway in the past.

We’re honoured to have such a passionate, thoughtful woman on our team of volunteers. Thank you for all that you do, Sylvia! And happy National Volunteer Week to all of our volunteers next week!

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