REALM Foundation (Social Support Network Member)

• Appropriate for volunteers aged between 18 and 55
• Appropriate for volunteers aged 55 and over
• Family-oriented volunteering

Do you love to share your ideas? Are you enthusiastic about creating inclusive community?  Do you feel a sense of accomplishment working as a group to help someone achieve goals and live their best life?

We are looking for amazing volunteers to join a volunteer support Network.  The role of the Network is to help place the power back into the hands of an individual with high physical disability (called a Centre) by assisting her to achieve her goals and be connected to her community.  You will be helping a young woman to create opportunities to live her best life! She is a fulltime university student, works, loves socializing with friends, and has an infectious personality. She has cerebral palsy and sometimes needs a little extra help to get things done. This is not a personal caregiving role.

As a part of the Network, volunteers are asked to commit 2 or more hours a month to Network projects.  Your skills might be needed to make phone calls, write letters, conduct research on opportunities or options, physically run errands, etc. It is whatever the network (which includes you) agrees is needed to complete the goal or activity. We meet once a month for an hour, to discuss and share ideas on how we can work together to fulfill the Centre’s goal, with network members taking on only what they are comfortable doing, and completing tasks between meetings.  During these COVID times we have been meeting virtually but may  be in person when permitted.

Our work is being supported by the REALM Foundation.  REALM is a non-profit charity with a mission of assisting persons with high level of disabilities live full and purposeful lives.  It provides the unique opportunity to help persons build a community of support.  If you would like more information about REALM feel free to investigate at http://www.realmfoundation.ca.  If you have an interest in making a difference in the life of someone with a physical disability, and if you believe in working with people and not doing for people, we would love to meet you.  We encourage people with diverse abilities, interests and experiences to apply.  This Centre has a service dog and all volunteers must be able to follow appropriate guidelines around related boundaries.  If you:

• have a desire to create trusting relationships and eliminate barriers to inclusion
• are committed to attend monthly meetings, take on only what you can manage, are looking for a long term volunteer commitment
• believe all people are valued and belong, have the right to self-direct their own life,  all people have unique gifts and abilities and are entitled to the right to share them, and lives are enriched through the power of connection

We want to meet you!