A LITTLE ABOUT US

WHO WE ARE

Volunteer BC is proud of being a strong voice on important issues that affect volunteerism.

VISION

Volunteer BC is the voice for supporting & connecting the voluntary sector to achieve excellence in volunteerism for the benefit of all British Columbians.

MISSION

To be strong and relevant provincial voice in promoting the development and value of volunteerism in BC by working cooperatively with the general public, volunteer centres, voluntary organizations, governments, business, and volunteer-involved organizations.

Volunteer BC Works with various partners and serve all members of the public who want to volunteer and be engaged in their community through meaningful and productive volunteer opportunities.

We work together to reduce duplication, increase efficiency and more effectively deliver services throughout all of BC.

Find out more about Volunteer BC programs & activities.

All Volunteer BC Programs

History – A Movement of Volunteers

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1970's

As communities grew and became more complex, citizens wanted to find out where their donations of time were needed, and organizations needed ways to let people know where they could volunteer. Volunteer Centres emerged as a solution to both problems.

T

1975

Engaging volunteers in the work of organizations was also getting more complicated. The profession of volunteer administration was born, and along with it a professional organization for managers of volunteers: the Administrators of Volunteer Resources BC.

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1977

As Volunteer Centres were established in more and more communities across Canada, a national organization, Volunteer Canada was founded.

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1979

Volunteer BC formed to support volunteerism, volunteer administration and volunteer centres in BC.

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1980's-2000's

Communities established centres across the province. Volunteer BC links the network of over 35 Volunteer Centres in British Columbia, and is the key conduit between community volunteers and the national voice for volunteerism.

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NOW

Volunteerism is a core component of a healthy British Columbia. 1.5 million BC volunteers contribute 114 million hours a year to better communities all across the province. That’s equivalent to 60,000 full-time jobs.

Meet Our People

Stacy Ashton

Vice-President

Stacy Ashton is the Executive Director at Community Volunteer Connections (CVC)

CVC is a volunteer centre serving the Coquitlam and New Westminster area. Stacy serves on the Board of New West.TV, and has volunteered with many great organizations, including the Royal City Humane Society and the Vancouver Crisis Line. Stacy has a Masters in Counseling from Simon Fraser University, and a background doing clinical work in the suicide prevention field. She recently completed her Certificate in Non-Profit Management through BCIT, and is proud to be a member of AVRBC and CAVR.

Nasrin Baji

Administrative Support

Admin Support at Volunteer BC

Creative director of Volunteer Futures, and handler of the critical itty bitty things.

Michelle Barszcz

Director

Administrative Coordinator at Volunteer and Community Resources Salt Spring Society (VCR)

Michelle resides on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia. She graduated from Fort Lewis College in Durango Colorado with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology. Her background is in survey research and prior to VCR she worked as a Senior Project Director for the Gilmore Research Group. Michelle has a long history and passion for volunteering in her community. She was the Vice President of the Salt Spring Cooperative Preschool for two years and has volunteered for several other organizations and has been on many volunteer committees over the years. She enjoys hiking, camping, photography, snowboarding and spending time with family.

Tracey Davidson

Director

Executive Director and Community Engagement Coordinator at Volunteer Terrace

Tracey is also Chair and Facilitator for Terrace Restorative Justice Society, on the board for Terrace Downtown Improvement Association and Terrace Little Theatre. Before moving to Terrace, she lived in North Vancouver where she volunteered for the North Shore Community Resource Society, North Shore Spirit of BC (2010 Legacies Now), and the North Shore Multicultural Society. Tracey is excited to be on Volunteer BC’s board and hopes to help to contribute to the organization that supports so many throughout BC.

Trisha Dulku

Director

SFU student majoring in World Literature and History

Trisha works part-time at the SFU Surrey TD Community Engagement Center and as a Youth Engagement Facilitator with the Surrey Team for Youth Leadership and Engagement.

Paul Dufour

Seasoned Administrative Professional

Accountant at Volunteer BC

Paul has experience in both the business and not-for-profit sector. A long-time resident of Richmond, Paul has been involved with many charity and community events including the Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life, the Richmond Soccer community’s Nation’s Cup, has performed as a percussionist with the Richmond Orchestra and Chorus and is currently serving on the Neighbourhood Grants committee for Richmond.

Naomi Fleschhut

Director

Manager at Sunshine Coast Volunteer Centre (SCCSS)

Naomi is also Director of Community in Action programs of the Sunshine Coast Community Services Society. With a background in the life sciences and 20 years’ experience working and volunteering in the non-profit sector in the areas of community development, permaculture and environmental conservation, Naomi is passionate about contributing to a sustainable, resilient local and global community.

Lorelynn Hart

Program Director

Program Director at Volunteer BC

Master of logistics, grant writing, fund development, board wrangling, marketing & communications, event planning, membership, supervising staff/contractors, liaising with partners and more!

Louise Howes

Director

Executive Director at Volunteer Campbell River

Louise joined Volunteer Campbell River (VCR) in 2007 as the Volunteer Centre Coordinator and became the Executive Director in 2011. She holds a Certificate in Non-profit Management from North Island College and has attended various sessions related to Board Development, Non-profit and Volunteer Management. Currently Louise sits on the Board of the CR Beacon Club and is on the family selection committee for the Habitat for Humanity build starting in the spring of 2106. Louise loves supporting community and all the wonderful volunteers and people that shape Campbell River and surrounding areas!

Julie

Director

Julie is of Kwakwaka’wakw and Scottish Ancestry.

With over 20 years in both episodic and long term volunteering in a variety of settings, Julie has a solid understanding of volunteerism. Volunteer Experiences include leadership, recruitment, special events, and long term program specific volunteerism. Professionally Julie has experience in Human Resources, Office Management, and Project Management.

Anne-Marie Koeppen

Secretary

VOLUNTEER SERVICES COORDINATOR AT VOLUNTEER COWICHAN

As is a lifelong volunteer, Anne-Marie believes you have to be a volunteer to know a volunteer. She was most honoured to receive the Diamond Jubilee and Caring Canadian Awards for volunteerism. She volunteers with local community organizations as well as co-facilitates the Cowichan Networking for Non-Profits, is a member of the Advisory Council for Volunteer Centers, board member with Leadership Vancouver Island and as AVRBC as a Regional Representative.

Lawrie Portigal

President

Retired Member of the Alberta Bar

Lawrie (Lawrence)is a native of Calgary and attended the University of Alberta where he received Degrees in Science and Law. Lawrie was first employed by the City of Calgary and later was a senior executive in the coal, electricity and natural gas industries. He moved to Richmond in 2002. Lawrie is active in the volunteer sector and is a Director and Vice Chair of Richmond Cares Richmond Gives (formerly Volunteer Richmond); a Director of the Touchstone Family Association and a Director and Chair of Volunteer Canada.

Andy Telfer

Vice-President & Acting Treasurer

Experienced Non-Profit Professional

Andy has had extensive experience with other province-wide organizations as an employee at BC Hockey, Director with the Recycling Council of BC and Chairperson of the Advisory Committee to Encorp Pacific. In the Lower Mainland in the 1990s, Andy was a founding member of Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST), Our Community Bikes!, and the West End Recycling Coalition. He has worked for charities involved in the arts, environment, social services and sport.

Interested in joining our Board?

Interested in joining the Volunteer BC Board

Want to work with us?

We work with like-minded people and groups to achieve mutual goals. Volunteer BC has partnered with Volunteer Canada, AVRBC, the Social Planning & Research Council of BC (SPARC BC) and Learning Initiatives for Rural and Northern BC (LIRN).

Want to be our next partner? Have a great program or idea you’d like to share across BC?

Contact us!

Our Partners

We acknowledge the financial support of the Province of BC through the BC Community Gaming Grant.

Volunteer Canada is the national voice for volunteerism in Canada.

Administrators of Volunteer Resources of British Columbia is the provincial professional association for individuals involved in the management of volunteer resources.

Social Planning and Research Council of BC focuses on social justice issues.

Connecting non-profits with volunteer project managers.

National charitable organization that supports charities and nonprofits so they can support Canadians and communities they serve.

Community Foundations of Canada is the national network for Canada’s 191 community foundations.

Management & Executive Recruitment Consulting.

Learning Initiatives for Rural and Northern BC – collaborative approach to building on the capacities of rural, remote and Northern communities.

Voluntary Organizations Consortium of British Columbia is a communications and network of provincial, community benefit organizations that involve volunteers