About us!

At a glance…

The Volunteer Resource Centre is a centralized community program serving the City of Brooks, The County of Newell No.4, the Village of Tilley, the Village of Rosemary and the Village of Duchess. Operating as a program through the Grasslands Regional Family & Community Support Services the purpose of the Centre is to encourage social integration and inclusion by connecting and supporting local residents, voluntary organizations, community service agencies, schools and the corporate community through volunteerism.

Our focus is to “ Helping You Help Others”. Whether the “You” is a community member looking for volunteer opportunities or whether the “You” is an organization using volunteers, the VRC provides information, consultation, training and support that mobilizes the community and leads to both social and economic growth of the County.

 

Our Vision

The communities supported by the Volunteer Resource Centre program are welcoming, inclusive and participatory with a strong sense of local pride and a culture of volunteerism. Positive, supportive connections exist between local organizations, families and individuals from a wide variety of ages, abilities and ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

 

Our Mission

The Volunteer Resource Centre is a responsive, centralized program that:

  • Connects local people and builds strong communities by providing the opportunity for social inclusion
  • Advances skills, knowledge and abilities of  voluntary sector organizations in developing effective volunteer programs within their organization
  • Encourages, supports and promotes volunteerism throughout the County
  • Identifies and addresses volunteerism needs and trends

 

Our Guiding Principles

The following guiding principles will be followed by the Volunteer Resource Centre:

  • Responsiveness to the volunteerism needs of the community
  • Awareness of volunteerism community issues and trends
  • Open inclusion of individuals from all ages abilities, income levels and backgrounds
  • Promotion of a “culture of volunteerism”
  • Partnership and positive connection with individuals, families, groups and organizations in the service, corporate and voluntary sectors.

 

History

The Volunteer Resource Centre is a program of the Grasslands Regional Family & Community Support Services. Grasslands FCSS is a non-profit society governed by a ten member Board of Directors and partners with many organizations in Brooks and surrounding areas to identify community strength and areas for growth.

In December 2001 the Government of Canada’s Voluntary Sector Initiative released a report entitled “Caught in the Middle: What small, non-profit organizations need to survive and flourish.”

In response to this report in 2004 and 2005 Grasslands FCSS hosted Volunteer Alberta Community Volunteer Forums in Brooks. Representatives from twenty three organizations attended. Results of the forums identified the need for a coordinated, centralized Volunteer Program as individual organizations and businesses have neither the time nor resources to recruit, train and retain volunteers.

A Volunteer Resource Centre Advisory Committee was established in September 2006 consisting of 12 members representing a broad cross section of our communities. In January 2007 the Grasslands FCSS opened the Volunteer Resource Centre in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross.

 

The VRC connects organizations and volunteers throughout the County of Newell

 


 

 

Helping you Help Others!

The Volunteer Resource Centre is a program of Grasslands Regional Family and Community Support Services