“The International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development (5 December), more commonly referred to as International Volunteer Day (IVD), is an international observance mandated by the UN General Assembly in 1985. It offers an opportunity for volunteer-involving organizations and individual volunteers to promote volunteerism, encourage governments to support volunteer efforts and recognize volunteer contributions to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at local, national and international levels.".

Volunteers are the very heart of our community.  They are our palliative care workers, coaches, the people giving mittens and blankets to our homeless, the people wrapping gifts in the malls during the Holiday Season, the fundraisers, the parents assisting in our classrooms and community centres, the friendly voice on the 24 hour crisis lines, the people driving patients to chemotherapy, the puppeteer teaching children about disabilities, the person cuddling your child at daycare or the person ushering you to your seat at a local theatre. These are just some of examples of volunteers working together to build a better Waterloo Region. And while all these contributions may seem small, it is through the collective effort of everyone that makes this better community a reality. Without a doubt it is the volunteers who build our community.