"It's so fulfilling to see an elderly lady come out of the doctor's office, look around for me, and then break into a smile, reassured to see that I'm still there, waiting for her. I love this job."

"I do volunteer work because it makes me realize that there are people out there who need us. Listening to the problems and sharing the burdens of others helps me to more easily accept my own. I find this work to be very fulfilling."

Making oneself useful, making new friends, learning, helping... Volunteering can mean three hours a week, three hours a month---or even only three hours a year. Many community organizations are only occasionally in need of volunteers, which is ideal for those not wishing to make a long-term commitment.

There are many different areas in which volunteers are needed, including the following:

Seniors

• Volunteer food services: Meals-on-Wheels volunteers deliver hot meals to seniors who need home care services to help them maintain their independence. Community meal services or Lunch Clubs bring more mobile seniors together for congregate dining and social activities. See also Santropol Roulant.
• Transporting and accompanying seniors to appointments or running errands for them.
• Conducting activities in seniors' centres: fitness sessions, arts and crafts workshops, bingo, Internet, social activities, recreational and cultural outings.

Children

• Day cares, camps, schools, museums, community centres, etc.
• Hospitals, rehabilitation centres.
• Cultural and recreational activities.
• See Big Brothers Big Sisters.
• Missing Children's Network, Children's Wish Foundation.

Women

• Information and reference centres. See Centre des femmes.
• Day centres, shelters.
• Active listening.
• Aid to single mothers, to the homeless, to sexual assault victims.
• HIV / AIDS.

Hospitals

• Visiting elderly residents in extended care facilities.
• Pediatrics: visiting, escorting to appointments, playrooms and day cares, classrooms.
• Snack bar, cafeteria, gift shop, escorting to appointments.
• Palliative care: accompanying terminally ill patients, comforting and offering moral support to family members. Volunteers usually undergo an initial training period.

Office work*

• General office work: filing, photocopying, phone calls, etc.
• Computer work: word processing, data entry, Internet, Web site programming.
• Accounting, book-keeping.
• Translating letters, documents (possibility of working from home).

Special events (ideal for people seeking a short-term commitment)

Youth

• Big Brothers Big Sisters.
• Community recreation centres.
• Rehabilitation centres for young offenders.
• Active listening, counseling, intervention.
• Homeless youth. See Dans la rue.

Education

• Working with young people or adults, individually or in a group.
• Promoting adult literacy.
• Helping young people who are falling behind in their schoolwork or have a learning disability.

Accompaniment/transportation (travel expenses are usually reimbursed)

• Transporting and accompanying people with reduced autonomy, helping reduce their isolation, taking them to medical appointments, cultural and social events, etc.
• Delivering Meals-on-Wheels.
• Collecting donations: food, clothing, furniture, etc.
• Driving a minibus (volunteers must possess the required driving licence).

Organization, coordination, communications

• Organizing all kinds of activities.
• Coordinating the work of other volunteers.
• Writing up press releases, doing public relations, developing promotional material, organizing press conferences, sponsorship development, compiling resource directories, etc.

Art & culture

• Museums: reception, guides, gift shop, checkroom, etc.
• Orchestras, dance troupes, theatre companies.
• Musicians for centres for the elderly, for community events.
• Conducting arts and crafts workshops.

Information, referral, active listening (training is usually provided)

• Consultation and reference centres, day centres, telephone listening centres. See Tel-aide.
• Active listening with a positive attitude.

Cultural communities

• Volunteer work for community organizations based in or serving various cultural communities.
• Assisting newly-arrived immigrants or refugees. See Centre d'appui aux communautés imigrantes.
• Acting as an interpreter, helping newly-arrived immigrants deal with public services.
• Teaching official languages.
• Intercultural activities. See Institut Interculturel de Montréal.

Food services

• Delivering Meals-on-Wheels to seniors with reduced autonomy.
• Serving community meals in seniors' centres.
• Organizing services, purchasing, cooking, maintenance.
• Food banks, community restaurants.

Homelessness

• Organizing and serving meals.
• Active listening.
• Used clothing counters.
• Shelters for the homeless.

Sponsorship

• Sponsorship of a person suffering from a physical or intellectual disability, former psychiatric patients, AIDS victims.
• Aiding and supporting a sponsored individual.
• Acting as a spokesperson, counselor, teacher and companion.

Environment / Ecology

• Éco-Quartier. See Éco-quartier Peter McGill.
• Clean-ups.
• Office work.
• Science-related recreational activities.
• Promoting awareness. See Urban Ecology Centre

Intellectual Disabilities

• Services to individuals, such as sponsorship or accompaniment.
• Group activities, recreational or cultural outings.
• See L'Arche-Montréal

Physical disabilities

• Aid to individuals suffering from muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, paraplegia, vision or hearing loss, etc.
• Services to individuals, such as sponsorship or accompaniment.
• Conducting occupational or arts and crafts activities, providing physical support during meetings or leisure activities.

Mental health (volunteers usually work under professional supervision)

• Helping former psychiatric patients or other individuals suffering from isolation, emotional dependence or other psychological problems to become integrated into their environment. See Douglas Hospital.
• Rehabilitation activities or active listening for people with mental health or substance abuse problems.
• Conducting sports activities, arts and crafts workshops and collective creation and personal growth sessions.

Fundraising campaigns*

• Annual campaigns in support of various foundations, research institutes and other organizations.
• Mailings, information booths, fundraising activities, etc.

Manual labour*

• Repairs or renovations for community organizations.
• Loading and unloading food bank supply trucks.

(*) Indicates service of an indirect nature, i.e., carried out without direct contact between volunteers and beneficiaries.

Get in touch with us to find out how your particular talents, skills and interests match up with our needs.

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