Helen Wallwork is one of those perennial Bowen Island volunteers who flies under the radar. Humbled yet dedicated, I have watched her give her time, enthusiasm, and wisdom to many boards, committees, and community events.
Over the decades Helen has volunteered with Theatre on The Isle (TOTI) since the organization was co-founded by her father Les Wallwork sometime circa the late 1950s. She has also served on the Bowen Island Community School Association (CSA) for over 30 years!
The CSA is a society that was founded shortly after the local Bowen Island school adopted the community school model in 1974. The United Church, Bowen Island Heritage Preservation Association, Haunted House, Strawberry Tea, Bowfest, and many other organizations and events have been supported by Helen over the years. From scheduling and minute-taking, to wearing a ghost costume, to helping to bake 50 pies in two days, Helen’s volunteer resume is jam-packed with a wide array of practical and fun experiences and memories.
Volunteering is a practice that was instilled in Helen by her parents, Les and Kit, and that she has passed down through the generations of her family, with Helen’s children and grand-children all being taught by example the importance of contributing to community by volunteering.
As a child I remember my mother baking multiple batches of cookies and watching her divide them up. Some cookies were for the family, and some were for the community! If you wanted the cookies, you could go volunteer!
Besides the chance for extra cookies, Helen taught her children that volunteering for something that you believe is an important thing to do. To be part of the community and contribute to a cause, a special local tradition brings personal joy, social connections and the satisfaction of contributing. Skills can be gained, fun can be had, and a sense of belonging is cultivated by giving back to the community.
Volunteering makes things better for the individual and the collective. Helen Wallwork is the epitome of a local community member who doesn’t volunteer because it gains her recognition; but because it is important to give back and to belong to a community.
In this day and age when many people are commenting on a sense of disconnection and a diminishment of social fabric, one way to weave and embellish the fabric of community society is to thread your way into doing something by giving a bit of your time. A simple way to feel connected is to volunteer.
As it says on the National Volunteers of Canada website: “Like each individual thread makes weaving stronger, every volunteer’s experience, perspective, and abilities add to our collective resilience. Woven together from coast to coast to coast, volunteering reinforces our ability to grow, thrive, and create change within our community, province, and country.”
A few tips on how to get started
Choose an organization or event that shares an interest or something that is fun. Actively make the effort to contact the people running the event and tell them:
a) what part of the event/project/initiative you are interested in
b) any special skills you might be able to contribute
c) how much time you have to offer
d) be patient, many local events are run by volunteers with more volunteers, so response time, etc. might take a bit of time
e) If you’re not a group-joiner, or are meeting-averse, you can solo-volunteer by taking on various activities such as neighbourhood or beach clean-up, or become part of a group like the Weed Warriors. Many Bowen Island groups have volunteer opportunities that don’t involve meetings!
If you’re not sure how you would like to volunteer, think about what events, or aspects of Bowen that you have a personal love of, or connection to. Check out the Bowen Island annual phone book to find contact information of the different groups, jump in as a volunteer, or go to an event or meeting to meet the people that are part of the group to learn more.
Many volunteers don’t know how to start, or are afraid that it will take too much of their time, but as long as you set and keep your limits, volunteering can be very rewarding. Not everyone has the time or interest in being a marathon-mega volunteer like Helen. Some people like to go for a walk, and other people like to run Ironman triathlon.
Choose to flex your ‘volunteer muscles’ at a time that suits your schedule. If you are new to volunteering, a ‘recommended’ volunteer amount is at least two hours per month, and if possible, involve your friends or family in the activities. Intergenerational volunteering is especially rewarding, and if enough people actively volunteer in a community, many hands do, indeed, make light work!
One last note about volunteering is about the importance of volunteer-appreciation. Whether you choose to volunteer or not, please be kind and appreciative and supportive of volunteers throughout the community. They might be trying something new, or giving their time to something they have volunteered for years at. It’s sometimes easy to treat volunteers as if it’s their job, if they’ve been doing it for a long time, or as something they are expected to do, when in fact, they are individuals leading with their heart and giving the most precious gift of time.
So, wherever you go, if you see a volunteer: thank them, and then spend a moment thinking about how you can volunteer and give back to your community as well.
- Sarah Haxby, appreciative daughter of perennial super-volunteer Helen Wallwork, (who has no idea I’m writing this article about her).
