Two volunteers make glow stick necklaces for the Sight Night run Oct. 5. Photo by Brock Strate.

You are at a charity fun run where you will be attempting to run five kilometres in the name of sightless people in your community. Your shoes are tied, you’ve got your number pinned to your shirt and you are all set to go. The timer goes off and you won’t see the starting line for another 40 minutes. The only thing you are thinking about is putting one foot in front of the other.  

However, what you might not realize is the amount of time and effort dedicated to ensuring your safety and enjoyment throughout the race. Volunteers that make up most of this event’s staff are a cornerstone of our community. 

Being a volunteer is not something to take lightly. You are giving up both time and money to make sure that you can help around your town and make a difference. However, there are numerous benefits as to why you may want to become a volunteer. 

Even the smallest gestures can make a meaningful difference in someone’s life. For example, you can volunteer at a soup kitchen and hand out free meals to the less fortunate. You can volunteer to be a caddie at a charity golfing event and make sure the participants have all the equipment that they may need. Whatever your skillset is, someone will be able to benefit from your experience.  

As a new volunteer to the Lethbridge community, Sasha Korin says even though she has only been doing this for a month, there have been multiple occasions to help. 

“It’s been a really great experience so far; I’ve been volunteering with different activities. I know the director, so she just offered it to me, and I thought that was a wonderful opportunity.” 

Being a volunteer does not mean you will be limited to what you already know. Perhaps you want to use this opportunity to explore yourself more and figure out what you can do.  Use this chance in your life to build relationships with people you would not normally connect with. You may even see opportunities arise because of said connections. 

It gives you the opportunity to mingle with well-known people and grow your network. If you want to be able to move up in the world, managers and bosses alike love to see a good amount of volunteer hours on your resume. It shows you have multiple skills that you can use in your workplace and your confident by taking on different responsibilities. 

As the Executive Director of the Lethbridge Sport Council, Susan Eymann says you don’t have to be an expert to help out. 

“We have the Sport Volunteer Hub, which is a website where we ask the community to sign up and tell us what kind of volunteering they would like to do. You don’t have to be a sports person, and you don’t have to have sports skills because many volunteers in sport are doing other things.” 

At the end of it all, you do not need to be a superhero to make a difference in your community. Volunteering can have a significant impact wherever it may be. Whether it is at a large-scale event or just one person you just met, you can be the change you want to see in the world.