Volunteering is part of my DNA. Growing up, my mother was always active in my school or part of a group of women quilting or knitting for a cause. My Dad is an active volunteer as well. Among his roles were Scout Leader, Habitat builder, Food Bank worker, and even once a Santa Claus. I volunteer because I was taught that it is important. I believe it makes me a better person and I believe in the hard work of building communities.
So a year ago I found myself finishing off my time on the Board of my kids’ Preschool and looking for a new opportunity. Then along came St. Albert Realtor Craig Pilgrim. He asked me if I would be interested in joining the Board of SAIF (Stop Abuse in Families). Now volunteering for the Board of such an important organization is way out of my comfort zone. I am a grunt worker. When I volunteer it is usually on the front line, like answering a crisis line (Edmonton Distress Centre), or as a counsellor (Walk in Counselling Society of Edmonton), delivering flyers, or coaching my kids.
What I don’t do easily is socialize or fundraise, two things necessary for a good Board member. I suck at asking people for things. It is a painful and guilt ridden process. For those of you that know me you will also know that my husband and I have been recently fundraising and socializing a lot more than I can comfortably handle. When Craig asked me to join the Board I was reluctant.
Being a Board member means that first you need to be an advocate for the organization that you serve. SAIF is an easy organization to get behind. They serve families struggling with violence. They provide education to youth about healthy relationships. They inform seniors and the elderly about their rights and provide help when needed. SAIF provides individual and group counselling to people that desperately need a nonjudgmental support in their lives.
Family violence continues to be a community secret yet it is a dangerously shameful reality for our friends, neighbors and even our families. SAIF is an organization that seeks to dissolve the shame, empower victims and provide help to the perpetrators. If ever there was an organization I would want to be a part of on a structural level this is it.
So I answered the call. Last September I joined the board. Even though I feel totally out of my element, I felt like it would be good for me and that I had something to offer them. I don’t have wealthy friends to hit up for loads of money, I am a Social Worker after all! I don’t have a lot of connections in the business world to provide much valued sponsorship to events and fundraisers. So there have been many meetings where I feel like I am out of my league.
I joined the committee for the Red Shoe Gala, a fundraiser coming up on April 12th (tix still on sale). The best moment for me was when I asked a local painter Samantha Williams- Chapelsky to do a painting for the Gala and she agreed. I was so wimpy about it I asked her via Facebook with a “you don’t have to if you don’t want to” kind of comment. I’m sure it was one of the most self-conscious, unprofessional asks she has ever gotten. Good thing she seems to like me, so she agreed.
Recently the Board of SAIF decided to do a “100 Cups of Coffee” Challenge. The idea is that the Board members will go out in the community and serve as Ambassadors of the agency by having at least 100 meaningful conversations about SAIF and what it does. We are competing with the staff for a larger total. As you might imagine, this sends panic up my introverted spine.
I don’t have wealthy friends, or lucrative business contacts but what I do have is YOU. So do me a favour, even though I hate asking, “Like” “Share” or “Retweet” this article and it counts as a cup of coffee for our challenge. Even more important look into the work of SAIF and get involved yourself. I am better for it and so will you be.