Sandra Bromley, '79 BFA
Where do you volunteer?
At the moment I'm Board Chairman of iHuman Youth Society, I'm on a U of A Acquisitions Committee, founder of Sierra Leone Bo Girls group fundraiser and am a participant in various art juries.
Why do you volunteer?
I believe in active citizenship, that individuals have a responsibility to help advance a good cause and the work is stimulating.
What does volunteering mean to you?
That I can share my time and talents to help in areas that I believe are important.
What impact has volunteering had on you? On others?
I've met a wealth of caring individuals, I've witnessed societal change for the good and I have had the privilege of knowing many many youth who, through courage and perseverance, have met immense challenges head-on and won.
What advice would you give to people looking to volunteer?
Find an area that you are passionate or curious about. Look at what you have to offer - do you have a lot of time, do you have a professional skill, are you creative, do you like shopping - its amazing how many skillsets are needed by the non-profit sector.
Can you share a story or a memory from your time volunteering?
It's hard to think of just one but recently I attended the Lieutenant Governor's True Awards Luncheon. An iHuman grad, Jamie Courtorielle received a prestigious province-wide TRUE Award for his cross Canada Bicycle Project "Cycle For Change" and his actions on helping kids with addiction issues. Jamie was a TRUE star that day. The luncheon was at Government House and was very elegant with multiple courses, china and silver.
Our table was seated with three iHuman youth, two staff and myself. The youth were at different levels of leaving their high-risk lifestyles. One was well on her way, another, taking positive actions and the last, still very high risk. About half way through the meal, one of the youth announced that she too was going to win an TRUE award for positive social change…maybe not this year or next but in three years - she would be up where Jamie was. The second iHuman youth then announced that she would be in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016 competing in the Olympics in boxing (she was about to vie for the provincial title).
I couldn't believe what I was hearing….a short while ago these young people had no belief in future, no feelings of self worth or accomplishment - for them to dream like this was incredible, heart warming and extremely inspiring. Whether they achieve these actual goals is not the important part - they've already scaled their Everest and they have the belief that they have the value to tackle anything. And they will.
On average, how many hours per month do you volunteer?
40 - 100 hrs
Anything else you would like to add?
Not at the moment, too busy volunteering, ha!