Mary Centre - Volunteer With Us

Volunteer With Us

Volunteers play many vital roles here at Mary Centre. Nearly 60 volunteers share their time and hearts to enable adults with developmentally challenges to fulfill their potential. But we need more of you. Won't you share your talents with us?

Here are just some of the ways that a little of your time can make a big difference to the lives of others.

Urgently Needed Volunteers

Database Consultant
We need an individual who is familiar with Income Manager to help us enhance our database. This would involve reviewing goals, assessing current capabilities and providing guidance regarding how to segment our stakeholder lists, add new contacts, create customized communications and generate reports.

Interviewer/writer
We need a writer who can capture stories of our clients, families, volunteers and staff for our newsletter, website and other communication materials. We'd like to develop about six stories each year. This would involve conducting personal and/or phone interviews every couple of months and then transforming the information into concise and compelling stories. We need someone who is patient, empathetic and has good interviewing and writing skills.

Mr/Ms Fix-It
Frank has retired! We need someone to help us do repairs for our two residences in Brampton.

Direct service

Friendly visitors spend time on a regular basis with an individual who has a developmental disability at his or her home: having a chat, reading together, playing cards, going to the library or a movie, taking a walk together, attending sporting or recreation events
Tutors teach reading, writing, math or computer skills
Drivers transport individuals to social, recreational or church activities

The residents and participants of Mary Centre are typically loving, sensitive people who become very attached to their support workers and volunteer "buddies." For this reason, we carefully match personalities and interests - and we ask our direct service volunteers for a commitment of at least one year.

In return, you have an opportunity to not only enrich the life of an adult with a developmental challenge - but you have an opportunity to enrich your own life. Volunteers receive one-on-one orientation to Mary Centre and to the person whom you would support. And you also have an opportunity to attend any of our standard and special interest training programs. Volunteers learn about developmental challenges and acquire valuable new skills at the same time.

Support service

Newsletter assistants helps us stuff, stamp and label envelopes for the quarterly Mary Centre newsletter

Arts and crafts makers create items for sale at fundraising bazaars

Mr/Ms fix-its assist with minor repairs in our residences

Gardeners mow the lawns or weed gardens at our residences

Organizational development

Committee members assist with operational responsibilities of Mary Centre; we particularly need people with finance, communications, technology, fundraising and human resources skills

Board members contribute to the strategic direction and development of Mary Centre; we need individuals who can help us plan and monitor organizational and financial performance and strengthen governance.

As a non-profit organization with limited funding, Mary Centre is grateful for every volunteer and for every hour you spend with us. In appreciation we host volunteer dinners every year. The 2005 event was held in April at the Columbus Centre in Toronto. Volunteers received certificates of appreciation and had an opportunity to get to know one another, as well as Mary Centre residents, participants and staff.

If you're interested in contributing your time and skills to Mary Centre — and enhancing the lives of others — we'd love to talk with you.

For direct or support service volunteering, contact our parish outreach/volunteer coordinator,
Carol Chung, (416) 630-5533, ext. 227.

For organizational development volunteering, contact executive director
Dominic Conforti, (416) 630-5533, ext. 223.