Community

Kindness Week 2023: Spreading kindness through volunteerism  

Feb. 13 to Feb. 20 is AC Kindness Week — a time to recognize random acts of kindness and celebrate all the ways that we can be a positive influence in each other’s lives.

Throughout the week we will be sharing a few ways that you can demonstrate small acts of kindness in your Algonquin College community on social media. To kick off the week, we sat down with Leah Grimes, a Volunteer Support Specialist in Student Support Services at the Ottawa Campus, to chat about the AC Volunteer Centre and how you can spread kindness in your community and beyond through volunteerism.

Q: What volunteer opportunities are available through the AC Volunteer Centre?

A: There are a number of ways to get involved with the AC Volunteer Centre:

On-Campus Events

These are events that are organized by different departments across campus that need volunteer support. Examples of these events are AC Day 1, the Career Networking Fair and the Culture Fair. Learners fill roles such as greeting, giving directions, serving food, etc.

Off-Campus Events

These are events that are organized by external community partners within Ottawa. These include H.O.P.E. Volleyball Summerfest, Ottawa Bluesfest and the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival. Volunteers fill roles such as food servers, greeters, administrators etc.

Community Projects

The AC Volunteer Centre organizes half-day trips to different community partners for special projects such as helping out at an urban farm, handing out food at the Salvation Army or cleaning up a park within the City of Ottawa.

Community Partner Opportunities

These are longer-term opportunities to volunteer with a community partner on an extended basis. These positions range from administrative support to event planning, tutoring and more.

Q: What impact does the AC Volunteer Centre have on our community and the global community at large?

A: Volunteering at on-campus events allows students to connect with the campus community and contribute meaningfully to the College culture. The AC Volunteer Centre is aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Volunteering, whether it is within the campus community or with the greater Ottawa community, supports these goals. When students volunteer at a local food bank, they are helping to reduce the effects of poverty by reducing food insecurity. When a student volunteers for an organization such as Pathways to Education, they support students gaining better access to specialized programming that can help them excel academically.

Q: How can students spread kindness through volunteerism with the AC Volunteer Centre? And how do students get started?

A: Students spread kindness through volunteerism by helping out in their communities without expecting anything in return. Students develop empathy for others and learn about the struggles that other people face. They take that empathy and make meaningful contributions to their communities.

Volunteer Mailing List

Students can sign up on our volunteer mailing list using this link. Emails are sent to this list of students when volunteer opportunities arise.

Appointment Booking

You can book an appointment to speak with us about volunteer opportunities and getting connected to our community partners. We are hoping that this will help you in connecting with relevant and meaningful volunteer experience during your time at Algonquin College. You can book appointments by visiting our website or by using the link below.

Click Here to Book an Appointment

Please note that because this is a new service, we have limited availability per week. All meetings will be held via Zoom, unless otherwise requested.

Community Partners

The AC Volunteer Centre is connected with about 100 community partners who are always looking for volunteers. You can browse these community partners and the volunteer opportunities available on our website, scroll to the bottom of the webpage and click “Community Partners.”

Massage Therapy learners bring welcome respite to CHEO health care workers

A student gives a back massage to a CHEO employeeHealth care workers at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) are delighted with a new work-integrated learning partnership with Algonquin College. Learners in the Massage Therapy program are participating in an outreach program where workers can sign-up for a 30-minute massage throughout the winter term. With the recent surge in children’s health care needs, hospital administration wanted to provide massage therapy opportunities for staff as part of their wellness package and as a way to say thank you.

To prepare for careers as massage therapists, learners complete 330 hours of direct client massage. While the program has worked with hospital patients in previous outreach programs, this is the first time they are providing massage therapy care specifically for health care workers.

“An administrator from CHEO reached out to [Dean] Jane Trakalo’s office asking if massage students would be able to come and give front line health care workers massages on their breaks,” said Sandra McCormick, the College’s Chair, Wellness Research and Innovation. “We often have requests from organizations to come and provide massage to their employees and it’s usually a one-time occurrence, but it worked out this time for the duration of the winter term.”

The outreach program at CHEO started on Jan. 26, which coincided with Bell Let’s Talk Day. Each massage takes place after an initial intake and assessment, where clients identify areas they would like the learners to target.
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AC learners take centre stage at Canadian Culinary Championship  

Feb. 3 marks the start of the Canadian Culinary Competition, a two-day competition which will take place in Ottawa and feature nine of Canada’s brightest culinary minds. The event is divided into three separate competitions with one winner crowned at the cumulative grand finale event on Saturday, Feb. 4.

The first competition will be a Mystery Wine Pairing which will take place at the Shaw Centre — chefs will be given a mystery bottle of wine and challenged to create a dish with local ingredients that best complement the beverage.

Algonquin College will be the proud host of the second competition on Saturday, Feb. 4. The Black Box challenge will take place from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the College’s state-of-the-art culinary facilities. The challenge will require the chefs to prepare two dishes in one hour using a box of mystery ingredients. Delicious nibbles will be prepared by Algonquin College’s culinary learners, using local ingredients, for onlookers to enjoy while they soak in this Iron Chef-type experience.

AC learners will be hard at work during the third and final competition at the Shaw Centre as well where teams of five will be assigned to each competing chef for culinary support.

This competition is an opportunity for budding chefs to learn from some of the best in the business and create meaningful relationships that will promote their success in the industry post-graduation. Student volunteers were chosen for their academic vigor and culinary abilities within all levels of the College’s culinary program.

Learners from Algonquin College’s Broadcasting – Television program will be onsite as well — a team of 18 students will put their audio and video skills to the test, broadcasting the Canadian Culinary Championship for viewers at home.

You won’t want to miss this opportunity to support Algonquin College learners and enjoy delicious fare prepared by the nation’s foremost culinary professionals. Learn more about the weekend’s events and buy your tickets today by visiting this link.