September 24, 2007

Ottawa – Giving back to the communities in which they work and live – this is what drives the corporate leaders who invested their time, skills and energy in the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa Clubhouse today. Together with members of Volunteer Canada’s Board of Directors, the team of 32 volunteers strong helped renovate the Clubhouse’s outdoor garden and learning space.

 
The corporate leaders are all members of the Corporate Council on Volunteering, a Volunteer Canada program that has grown to become one of the largest corporate volunteerism initiatives in the country.  The Council aims to encourage and enhance employer-supported volunteerism throughout the corporate community and calls on businesses of all sizes to follow their example. 

 
“The Corporate Council on Volunteering continues to lead the way in demonstrating the need to focus more on the social responsibility of the corporate sector and the tremendous potential of the corporate volunteer movement,” says Ruth MacKenzie, president of Volunteer Canada and co-chair of the Council.  “While Canada still lags behind many other countries in the area of employer-supported volunteerism, it is the continued commitment and leadership of the Council that will help us catch up to the rest of the world.”  

 
Since its creation in 2005, through a partnership between Volunteer Canada and The Home Depot Canada, the Council’s membership has grown to include 22 corporate leaders.    

 
“The corporate community has the energy and capability to ignite a culture of employer-supported volunteerism across the country,” said Annette Verschuren, president of The Home Depot Canada and Asia and co-chair of the Council.  “By showcasing the impact of our efforts, seen here today at the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa garden, we want to inspire others in the corporate community to follow suit and find ways to give back to their own communities.”  

 
Today’s event springboards the Corporate Council on Volunteering and Volunteer Canada into a series of volunteering activities in which 900 employees from various participating companies will donate their skills, on company time, to numerous projects at three Boys and Girls Clubs locations across the country in mid-October.

 
Participating corporate leaders in the day’s event included: Annette Verschuren, President, The Home Depot Canada and Asia; Sal Iacono, Senior Vice President, Bell Canada; Bret Vincent, Senior Vice President, Customer Relations, MBNA Canada; Michael Tierney, President, UPS Canada; Bryan Disher, Ottawa Managing Partner, PwC; Bob Courteau, President, SAP Canada; Deanna Monaghan, Managing Partner, Ernst & Young LLP; Randy Gerrie, Regional Vice President, Ontario, Wal-Mart Canada Corp; Lori Ross, Vice-President, Marketing, STAPLES The Business Depot; Todd Empey, Vice-President Pilot Stores, Future Shop; Bill Allen, Director Corporate Affairs, TELUS.

 
About Volunteer Canada
Volunteer Canada is the national voice for volunteerism in Canada. Since 1977, the organization has been committed to increasing and supporting volunteerism and civic participation through ongoing programs, special projects and national initiatives, by developing resources and by engaging in research and training across the country. Working with volunteer centres, community and national organizations and businesses, Volunteer Canada actively leads national dialogues on how volunteerism is related to citizen engagement and civil society and provides leadership on issues and trends in the Canadian volunteer movement. To learn more about Volunteer Canada, please visit volunteer.ca.