As National Volunteer Week comes to a close, we are grateful for the support of our valued volunteers. Thank you all!
CIT Financial Ltd. Employees
One of the many ways that volunteers make an impact at the Foundation is through engaged corporate employee team support. CIT Canada’s employees volunteer their time to the Foundation – Central office through CIT’s Global Volunteer Month each May. This dedicated staff team chose to support the breast cancer cause and help raise awareness of the Foundation’s outstanding work through the assemblage of pink ribbons.
During CIT’s inaugural year, employees assembled approximately 16,000 ribbons. Their dedication has grown significantly over the years and last year CIT employees assembled more than 100,000 ribbons!
The Foundation is grateful for the dedicated support and enthusiasm of CIT volunteers whose commitment helps create a future without breast cancer, one pink ribbon at a time.
Joy MacInnis embodies the spirit of volunteerism through her dedication and commitment to the cause.
Joy MacInnis
As a two-time breast cancer survivor, Joy MacInnis is a zealous supporter of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation – Atlantic Region. An active member in her community, Joy has been volunteering with CBCF – Atlantic Region for 10 years. She has served two terms on the board of directors and has volunteered with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure in her hometown of Sydney, Nova Scotia. When the CBCF – Atlantic Region’s Tour for the Cure big pink bus made a stop in Sydney, Joy willingly donated her time to welcome visitors to the bus. Joy holds a leadership role in organizing the Sydney Awareness Breakfast, and most recently has joined the Community Health Grants Committee.
Joy embodies the essence of volunteerism. Her steadfast commitment to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation – Atlantic Region, along with her giving spirit, make her a true champion of hope.
“She’s upbeat, bubbly, friendly and a positive force. You just feel like being a better person when she’s around.”
Esperanza (Espie) Lee
Staff members at the Winnipeg office say Esperanza (Espie) Lee is so pleasant that her smiles are obvious even over the telephone. Espie’s motivation to help create a future without breast cancer is strong and personal: she’s lost some of her closest friends to the disease and is supporting several others who are in recovery. Six years ago, she began assisting the Foundation at events. Three years later she joined the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure committee and she hasn’t stopped since. Whenever there’s a call for volunteers, if she’s not the first person to sign up, she’s the second. She helps out wherever and however she can.
Espie loves working with the people she’s met through volunteering with the Foundation. By now, they feel like family to her. She’s inspired by seeing others happy and knowing she’s involved in something so special. Her advice to others considering volunteering with the Foundation is: “Don’t think twice! You’ll love it!”
Meet Linda Lucente, one of our amazing volunteers at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation – BC Region.
Linda Lucente
As she neared retirement, Linda Lucente wondered what she might do to fill her days. She connected with a friend, who happened to be a long-time volunteer for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. As a breast cancer survivor the breast cancer cause was important to Linda and she quickly found a home at the Foundation. A year and a half later, she comes in to the Vancouver office 2 to 3 times a week to support various departments on projects big and small, often volunteering her time in the evenings for community events and fundraisers as well.
When not volunteering with the Foundation, you can find Linda cheering on the Vancouver Canucks, taking part in Running Room programs for breast cancer survivors and working with her teammates to fundraise for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure. Linda is a wonderful person to work with and we are so honoured to have her support in our office every week.
In celebration of National Volunteer Week (April 10-16), we are putting the spotlight on some of our amazing and dedicated volunteers at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
Alan, Kathy, Gordon and their support worker, Dianne
At the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation – Ontario Region, our volunteers are the backbone of our success. From organizing fundraising events to sitting on our grant review committees, volunteers play a crucial role in our efforts to create a future without breast cancer.
In total, our volunteers donate more than 72,000 hours of their time to the Foundation each year. Each year, the Foundation benefits from the many volunteer hours contributed by four individuals from Community Living Toronto.
Community Living Toronto is a non-profit organization that supports individuals with intellectual disabilities who are looking for accessible and meaningful ways to live in the community. For 14 years, Alan, Kathy, Gordon and their support worker Dianne have volunteered each Wednesday at the Ontario Region office.
Together, these four volunteers help Foundation staff with a variety of tasks. Some days, they use their creativity to paint gorgeous posters that encourage participants in the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure. Other days, they make pink ribbons or help collate files. Each year, these four volunteers put a huge amount of energy into decorating the Foundation’s holiday tree.
The Foundation thanks Alan, Kathy, Gordon and Dianne for their energy, enthusiasm and devotion.
