B.C. Summer Games volunteers don’t get the medals and the glory, but they’ll be behind-the-scenes champions.
The Games committee continues to seek volunteers leading up to the July 17-20 event in Nanaimo. Hundreds of helpers are still needed for an array of tasks leading up to and during the week of the Games.
“The athletes and the coaches and the families who come to Nanaimo to the Summer Games, we want them to leave here going, ‘Wow, Nanaimo did a great job of putting on those games and they really made us feel welcome. What a great place Nanaimo is,’” said Bruce Hunter, vice-president of the Games.
So the volunteers are ambassadors, too, and they also get to share in all the victories and positivity that week.
“I think it would bring people great satisfaction to see all these young people from across the province competing hard, enjoying themselves, making friends, having a great experience and to know that you were part of what enabled them to have that great experience,” Hunter said.
One area where the Games committee particularly needs volunteers is in accommodations.
The ‘A-team’ will make sure athletes have a safe place to stay 24 hours a day during the games. Dormitory hosts, dorm guides and hospitality guides are needed, as well as people to handle setup, housekeeping and teardown at the dorms. Time commitments are flexible, with shifts generally six hours long.
“Being part of it, even if it’s a small part, you’re making it happen,” said Pam Donnelly, accommodations director, in a press release.
Volunteers are also needed to handle security, including crowd control, a mobile patrol, and security communications centre operations.
For information about volunteering and to download application forms, please visit www.bcgames.org. Forms can also be picked up at City of Nanaimo recreation centres or at the Games office at 1111 Dufferin Cres.