It means giving of yourself. Donating of your time. Doing something to better the experience for others, and thereby bettering the experience for yourself.
It’s giving. Unconditional giving.
Reading to children at the hospital. Bringing meals to the elderly shut in. Walking the dogs at the shelter.
All things that are done to make our community a better place by people who just want to help.
So why then, with the Olympics coming to Vancouver in 2 years, is the government offering it’s employees the chance to take paid leave to “volunteer” for the Olympics?
As part of the plan, B.C. government employees who are accepted by the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) as volunteers will be able to claim part of the time as vacation time, and the other part as paid leave, said Colin Hansen, the minister responsible for the Olympics.[source]
That kind of misses the point, doesn’t it?
Coast Capital Savings offers its employees the chance to take a paid day off work, in exchange for volunteering in the community. You’ll often see the Good Karma Crew at runs and walks and big events helping out. This is great. It’s offering employees a chance to make a difference in their own personal community.
In 2006, our staff generously gave more than 25,000 hours to various charities in their local communities. We are proud to have a very special program that supports our staff in their volunteer efforts. [source]
It’s a private company, giving back to the public. They do this each and every week of the year, it’s not a special “Olympic only” program - it’s part of their corporate mandate to serve the community they do business in.
The government plan is different. It’s a one off. Gordon Campbell is trying to defend the decision by saying the government is trying to help in the same way the corporations are, but when it’s the government workers, paid by the taxpayers, going out and getting paid to “volunteer” at the Olympics, it’s a little different.
The government is already footing a huge bill for these games, they don’t need to go and foot the bill of volunteers on top of that.
25 000 people will be needed to make these games run smoothly. In the first 2 days of applications, more than 10 000 have already raised their hand and said “I’ll help.” You’d think in 2 years we wouldnt have a problem grabbing another 15 000 to join the team.
Some have voiced opinions to local radio stations:
Volunteers should be compensated for out of pocket expenses like food and gas.
Volunteers deserve some kind of a tax break but it’s unfair that only government workers will be paid to volunteer their time in 2010. [source]
Everyone’s missing the point.
We volunteer because we want to help out. We want to make our city a better place for everyone. We do it because we WANT to, not because we’re getting any other benefit than the joy in knowing we’re making a difference.
So go to the 2010 site and sign up to be a volunteer, so the civil servants won’t be necessary to “top up” the ranks.
The government further defends the action by saying similar programs happened in Calgary in 88 and in Victoria in 94.
Well, three wrongs don’t make a right, do they?
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