As a former Sponsored Employee  at the United Way, I am always interested to hear about ways to stay involved with the United Way and all of the member agencies it funds.  GenNext is an excellent means to stay connected and learn of different opportunities available.  Recently, I volunteered to help Family Service Toronto  prepare for their Family Day celebrations.  We set up a booth at a local mall with a simple mission: to photograph and video families and have them tell their stories.  Just as people-watching can be very entertaining, actually stopping and talking to the “average person on the street” can be even more fascinating! 

Even though I was born and raised in Toronto, this opportunity took me into a diverse neighbourhood with which I was largely unfamiliar and engaged me with its residents.  Also, those working the booth were a very interesting and diverse group.  And that’s one of the great additional benefits of volunteering: it is really an easy way to network with some quality people.

For more information on the Sponsored Employee Program at United Way Toronto: (http://www.unitedwaytoronto.com/campaign/SE/main.php) 

Family Service Toronto: (http://www.fsatoronto.com/)