The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
National Volunteer Week (NVW) is a time to recognize and celebrate the incredible efforts of our volunteers. It takes place April 21 to 27, 2013. This year marks the 10th year we've delivered the NVW campaign in partnership with Investors Group, a longstanding supporter of NVW and Canada's corporate leader in volunteer recognition. Volunteering is a part of who we are as Canadians. The Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, calls Canada 'a smart and caring nation.' It's our dedication to community involvement that has given us that reputation at home and around the globe. Volunteers strengthen our communities and make our country vibrant. Today, volunteers are involved in more ways than ever before. They complete tasks from smartphones while waiting at the bus stop. They sign and share petitions. They govern organizations as board members. They lead rescue efforts when disasters strike. Every day, Canadians lend a hand to their neighbours and friends. And many of them don't realize that in doing so they're volunteering. National Volunteer Week is a chance to thank volunteers for all they do for us at home and around the world. NVW is all about taking time to recognize the tremendous impact of our incredible volunteers. Come on, Canada! Let's show them how much we appreciate their efforts. History NVW began in 1943 to draw attention to the vital contribution women made to the war effort on the home front. Although NVW was largely forgotten after the war ended, it experienced a revival in the late 1960s, when organizations stressed the importance of thanking volunteers across Canada. NVW was reinstated and has since grown to become the largest celebration of civic participation in Canada. This year marks the 10th year we've delivered the campaign in partnership with Investors Group, a longstanding supporter of NVW and Canada's corporate leader in volunteer recognition. We'd like to thank Investors Group for its ongoing commitment to volunteer recognition. Its passion for strengthening volunteering across our country sets it apart as a leader among Canadian companies. Volunteers: Passion. Action. Impact. The theme of this year's NVW campaign recognizes the individual volunteers across Canada who dedicate themselves to improving their communities. Volunteers have a pas-sion for getting involved. They take action to support the causes and organizations that matter to them. And they make an impact in our communities. PREB allows managers of volunteers to create a detailed certificate of achievement for individual volunteers. The certificate highlights the skills the volunteer has developed and the experience gained through volunteering. It also clearly lists the tasks and activities the volunteer was responsible for. PREB also provides training materials and online resources for volunteer managers. PREB benefits a wide-ranging audience, including youth volunteers, new Canadians, volunteers seeking employment, experienced volunteers, employers, voluntary organizations and managers of volunteers. In 2012, Volunteer Canada and Investors Group worked with CABQ to adapt PREB to English, setting the foundation for the English-language program to be pilot tested in 2013. Volunteer Canada is excited to be kicking off National Volunteer Week 2013 by announcing the nationwide rollout of PREB. Join us on the Volunteer Canada Facebook page on Tuesday, April 23 at 1:00 p.m. EDT for the "Virtual Ribbon Cutting" ceremony!
