Kelowna Mayor and Council applaud volunteers

The City of Kelowna and its Mayor and Council celebrate Volunteer Week, running April 22-26, by taking a moment to recognize some of the groups and individuals who work hard to make Kelowna a great community.

“Volunteers make our community,” said Kelowna Mayor Walter Gray at today’s Council meeting. “Whether devoting their time to events or causes, these community-minded volunteers make this city a great place to live and visit.”

Volunteer opportunities at the City of Kelowna include:

Adopt-a-Road

• Private organizations, clubs and community groups can help the City keep Kelowna beautiful by volunteering their labour to pick up litter along the sides of roads.

Adopt-a-Stream and Yellow Fish Road

• These watershed stewardship programs give organizations, families, individuals, clubs and community groups the opportunity to assist the City in keeping Kelowna’s streams healthy.

Bike to Work Week

• Residents can become a team leader and provide inspiration and motivation for coworkers to get involved, whether seasoned cyclists or first-timers. Visit smartTRIPS.ca for more information.

Kelowna International Airport

• A number of opportunities are available at our airport, which include the Ambassador and Junior Ambassador Programs, manning the Tourism Kelowna Kiosk and being part of the Airport Watch. Additional details can be found at ylw.kelowna.ca.

RCMP

• Groups like Citizen Patrol Teams make Kelowna a safer place. The 2012/2013 holiday season showed the impact of our volunteers with calls for service to mall parking lots reduced by 33 per cent and theft from motor vehicles reduced by 24 per cent.

Recreation & Cultural Services

• Opportunities in recreation range from being a Community Access Assistant, working with persons with a disability and offering support and companionship, to being a program, special event or aquatic volunteer. Visit kelowna.ca/recreation to learn more.

Snow Busters

• This goodwill program encourages residents to lend a hand after a snowfall and shovel sidewalks or driveways for their lesser-able neighbours. See kelowna.ca/transportation for more about snow and ice removal and the Snow Busters program.

And there are many more opportunities within the community, offered by private organizations and public groups, to fit a variety of interests.

For more information about volunteering with the City, visit kelowna.ca/getinvolved.