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Celebrate National Volunteer Week
April 10 - 16
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In celebration of National Volunteer Week, we would like to thank all of our volunteers for their time and support of Frontier College.
Frontier College's foundation was formed by passionate volunteers who believed in helping people who were struggling with low literacy. Today, this passion continues to shape the lives of thousands of learners across Canada.
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We recognize the contributions of our dedicated and valued volunteers from coast-to-coast!
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Sivan Spector
Vancouver, British Columbia
Volunteer since January 2015
Sivan contributes her time to not just one, but two programs: for youth finishing high school and for Grade 1 students. She extends encouragement, motivation and enthusiasm to her students beyond the textbook.
"Volunteering with Frontier College has really pushed me out of my comfort zone and into the community. Often being a University student keeps me in a bubble, and through this work I have been able to break that bubble in a really meaningful way, and I hope I can impact these communities as much as they have impacted me."
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Namrata Hansraj
Edmonton, Alberta
Volunteer since 2007
Namrata is our longest-serving volunteer in Alberta! Namrata first volunteered with Frontier College at age 16 as a Reading Buddy, and has continued to demonstrate her leadership skills and passion for reading to today.
"Being an immigrant to Canada myself, I understand how difficult it can be to conquer a new language and be able to achieve fluency. It is amazing how resilient and hard working the students are, in the hopes of improving their English language skills. Thus, for the past nine years, I have enjoyed helping and watching children as they have excelled in their literacy skills, developed a passion for reading and gained a new sense of confidence. In addition, Frontier College provided me with a stepping-stone to enhance and flourish my own leadership, collaboration and communication skills. For the past nine years, the reading circle has become a weekly routine for me and I have enjoyed every minute of it!"
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Monique Bews
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Volunteer since January 2015
Monique is a keen volunteer ready to jump in and lend support. Monique is the first person to help orientate new volunteers, and is
instrumental in keeping the Lifelong Learning program running efficiently and smoothly.
"I cannot begin to express the profound impact that my time with Frontier College has had on my perception of literacy and its essential role in building equal opportunities in our community. I have met incredible people, young and old, who have taught me the realities of poverty, and who have shown me that the ability to read should never be taken for granted. To teach another person these vital skills has been a remarkable experience, and I am proud to say that I am part of such a noble organization as Frontier College."
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Ryley Larway
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Volunteer since October 2015
Ryley is a committed and enthusiastic volunteer. Her contribution to our Reading Circle is especially commendable, because she is always kind and patient in her interactions with our learners, as well as thoughtful with the literacy activities that she plans.
"I began volunteering with Frontier College as a way to get more involved and to gain some experience working with students prior to applying for the Faculty of Education. It has met those expectations and more. Each week, I have the opportunity to go into a classroom or after school program and interact with learners. Experiences such as those I have had with Frontier, with the fellow volunteers, interns, students, teachers and everyone in between are what motivate and excite me for my future as an educator."
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Jahnicia Williams
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Volunteer since November 2014
Jahnicia is energetic and ready to volunteer as much as possible. When we sent out an email to every volunteer asking for extra help on March break, she was not only the first person to respond, but she offered to volunteer every day that week and was flexible to move to whichever site needed her most, no matter how far away.
"I decided to volunteer with Frontier College as it gives me the possibility to be a part of my community in a way that is meaningful to me. Being a volunteer, I have had the opportunity to use skills I have been taught, to learn new skills and to further develop skills that I already possess, thus making the experience very rewarding to me."
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Sophia Wen
London, Ontario
Volunteer since October 2015
Sophia volunteers in our Virtual Learning Portal (VLP) program and is an outstanding tutor, resource and communicator. Her weekly sessions with a new immigrant living in British Columbia have afforded her the opportunity to give back to someone who is facing the same challenges in learning a language and culture that her family faced when they landed in Canada.
"This tutoring experience has exceeded all my expectations because I often feel like the learner, who has taught me so much about perseverance and optimism. I've tutored high school students extensively in the past but joined Frontier College because Frontier College lets me work with people from very diverse backgrounds, and I've had such a rewarding experience. VLP is a great program because it lets me set a flexible schedule with my learner that suits both of us, and my work is not constrained by geographical location."
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Stephen Hong
Toronto, Ontario
Volunteer since 1998
During his 18 years volunteering with Frontier College, Stephen has been a fundraiser--
organizing trivia and Scrabble events; a photographer--documenting important moments and events; a program site coordinator--shaping learning activities at our Newcomer Homework Club; and a leader inspiring other volunteers to take on new challenges and opportunities. He is instrumental in supporting our learners while raising the profile of the literacy issue.
"As a program site coordinator, I get to interact with all the tutors and learners, manage resources, and help plan events. Being a tutor has challenged me to improve my communication skills and adapt to how others learn. Each tutoring session has its joys and frustrations, but it is very rewarding to see learners understand and can do things on their own. Mission accomplished."
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Jade Adams
Montréal, Québec
Volunteer since 2009
Jade is a dedicated, dependable and passionate volunteer. She began her time as a volunteer tutor, then as an Organizational Team member, and then built upon her experience and became an intern, then a camp counsellor, and now supports our literacy summer camps as a program assistant.
She started as a tutor, then became an OT member and then
"Choosing to become a Frontier College volunteer six years ago started as a way to gain tutoring experience, but it grew into a passion and turned into a job since I am now a program assistant for the summer literacy camps in Québec, Nunavut, and Nunatsiavut. From reading silly stories to campers in Northern Québec, to helping my adult learner work on her resume in Montréal, I have built so many relationships and learned as much as I taught. Volunteering with Frontier College not only complemented my university studies, but stands out as a valuable experience which will continue to frame my career path in terms of community engagement, volunteerism, and positive change."
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Nicole
Lyons MacFarlane
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Volunteer since September 2010
Nicole first volunteered with Frontier College in a homework club in Fredericton. Noticing how adaptable and hard working she was, she was asked to become a team leader the next year and has continued this lead role in Halifax, where she moved three years ago. Nicole has been instrumental in developing a culture of appreciation and respect among the tutors she supports in a very large, diverse homework club. Each week she demonstrates great organizational skills and an eagerness to help tutors and learners settle into their routine for the evening.
"Volunteering with Frontier College has been an incredible experience. I've seen so many learners and tutors grow and change, and I have as well. The skills I've gained from helping the learners have been invaluable, and will continue to help me outside of the programs."
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Mahsa Kiani
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Volunteer since September 2014
Mahsa works with adult newcomers from Nepal and Bhutan, and she uses her warm personality, patience and creativity to work with adult learners who have little-to-no formal education experience. She is often the first one to volunteer for extra tasks like staffing our booth at volunteer recruitment events.
"It is an honor to be a lead tutor at a national literacy organization. I teach the MCAF Adult Newcomer Literacy Program, which helps new immigrants and refugees to improve their language skills. It is an incredibly rewarding experience to assist newcomers to become fully functioning members of Canadian society."
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Frontier College 1-800-555-6523
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