APRIL 18-24, 2021

WHEREAS, 12.7 million Canadian volunteers give their time to help others, contributing close to 2 billion volunteer hours per year; and

WHEREAS, volunteers in Thunder Bay mentor our children, feed our hungry, comfort our lonely, beautify our green spaces, and fundraise for our charitable organizations; and

WHEREAS, volunteers in Thunder Bay have stepped up during the COVID-19 pandemic to support families, friends, neighbours and strangers, people standing up to systemic racism, and people sharing insights on how to create a more just and equitable society; and

WHEREAS, Thunder Bay’s volunteers are young, old, families, workers, retirees, men and women of all ages and backgrounds; and

WHEREAS, the collective result of the work done by our city’s volunteers is that Thunder Bay is a more desirable place to live; and

WHEREAS, 2020 saw us in a year that volunteering shifted and morphed into new and reimagined opportunities for many organizations and volunteers alike; and

WHEREAS, organizations in Thunder Bay that rely on volunteers include such fundamental organizations as the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, The Salvation Army, The Children’s Aid Society, The Thunder Bay Military Family Resource Centre, St. Joseph’s Care Group, Wesway, the Regional Food Distribution Associations, and the City of Thunder Bay, to name a few; and

NOW THEREFORE, I, Bill Mauro, Mayor of Thunder Bay, do hereby proclaim April 19-25, 2020, as National Volunteer Week, and urge my fellow citizens to recognize the crucial role played by volunteers in our community.