As many people have done in retirement, I, too, decided to approach volunteer organizations where my free time might be put to good use. Little did I know that trying to land an opportunity volunteering in Ottawa would be almost as challenging as applying for paid work.
I wanted to share my love of reading and writing with young children, and so, long before the start of the 2024 school year, I contacted the Ottawa Network for Education (ONFE) and its Volunteers in Education (VIE) program. I assumed that there were probably many young kids in need of extra help that their busy parents and teachers might not be able to provide, and for that reason, I thought I’d be snapped up immediately.
The application process with ONFE took several months before their coordinator copied me on her email to the principal at a school within walking distance from my home. She passed on my contact information and a copy of my completed Level 3 Police Record Check required to volunteer with children and seniors. Though I was thrilled to have reached that milestone at the time, the excitement was short-lived.
Time for Plan B
There were no follow-up communications from the ONFE coordinator or the principal, and after a few more weeks of waiting, I decided to go to the school myself to ask the principal why I had been dismissed before I had even been given a chance at the job!
Apologies were made and explanations provided, and two weeks later, I was assigned to assist one teacher. My job was to work one hour per week with young students who needed help reading in French. It was a wonderful experience while it lasted, and I truly enjoyed working with each one of the students.
At first, some of them were not sure why they should be doing extra work with me, but after a couple of sessions, all were happy to come sit with me to read, and to show me how much better they were at reading than their classmates. Their competitive spirit was especially amusing.
A lot can be said about a personal referral, and thanks to help from a friend, I landed a second volunteer opportunity. My friend spoke about my availability to the principal at the school that her daughters attended, and a week later, I started to work there with six students from different classes. Once we got to know each other, and settled into a routine, fun times at reading and writing were had by all.
Unfortunately, working at both these schools had its challenges. The kids were all adorable and worked well during their time with me, but when the teacher at the first school was absent, my hour with her students was cancelled, and no make-up times were offered. At the second school, the administrative staff were so busy that I wasn’t notified if a student was home sick, on a field trip, or at a medical appointment, and sometimes, teachers would forget to send a student to our designated reading room. As the school was a half-hour drive from my home, it was disappointing to find that my services wouldn’t be required on those days.
Recently, I spoke to a volunteer coordinator for Big Sisters about my volunteer jobs at both schools. She said that she spends a great deal of her time intervening on behalf of volunteers whose experiences in school settings were similar to mine.
That coordinator must still be very busy making interventions for her volunteers. I left her a voicemail a few months ago, to confirm that I had renewed my police record check and I have yet to hear back from her.
Giving it another try
My most recent application to volunteer was to once again work with young children needing help with reading and writing assignments. It took nearly three months after my completed police check was submitted before the agency contacted me for an interview. Following the interview, another two months went by without any further communication about the volunteer job I had applied for.
I found this discouraging, and although I’ve never been one to easily give up on something I set my mind to, there are times when you just know that things are not going to work out, so I decided to cut my losses and move on.
What’s the problem with volunteering in Ottawa?
While most organizations are pleased to sign up as many individuals as they can, the reality is that despite the fact that the need for volunteers is greater than it ever was, some of the agencies are either not well organized or they don’t have enough staff to process applications in a timely manner. This is the explanation I was given by two volunteer coordinators I spoke to in recent weeks.
To work with children or seniors, a ‘Level 3 – Vulnerable Sector Check’ is understandably essential. There is a fee associated with all levels of police record checks, however, it can be bypassed with a letter from the volunteer organization. The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) application for a check can be completed online and the turnaround time by email is fairly quick.
Sadly, volunteer organizations are not as prompt in forwarding their form letters to bypass the fee for a police check, causing unnecessary delays in that process. Nor do they speedily acknowledge receipt of the approved police check from a volunteer, causing further delays that can be stretched into months.
There are always other alternatives
I guess the moral of this story is not to get disheartened with the process of finding a volunteer posting that could bring joy for you and the people you would be helping. Some organizations might be more efficient than others at volunteer recruitment, so anyone looking for an opportunity has reason to be hopeful.
As well, there are many other ways to volunteer for organizations whose application processes may not be as lengthy or rigid. Churches, for instance, are involved in a number of charitable activities. You need only roll up your sleeves and jump in, and any help you can offer would be welcome and appreciated.
I see many people, like me, who pick up trash left behind on the roadside by the litterbugs in our community. No police check or multiple character references required for this volunteer activity! It’s also a great form of exercise, and you can immediately see positive results from your efforts. This task may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but what would our neighbourhoods look like if no one did it?
More established city cleanup projects don’t require a police check either. For those who enjoy working outdoors, the Fletcher Wildlife Garden welcomes volunteers of all ages; the Ottawa Riverkeeper program always needs volunteers for shoreline clean-ups and water protection initiatives, and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) can be a wonderful opportunity for those volunteers who are passionate about protecting wildlife.
Last but not least, food banks ‘generally’ don’t require a police record check to sort food in its warehouses or take part in their many food drives.
Remember that there can never be enough volunteers to fill every need, and the gift of your time and support would be invaluable wherever you go.
Lise Cloutier-Steele is an Ottawa writer and the author of the 2025 Edition of There’s No Place Like Home: A guide to help caregivers manage the long-term care experience, available from www.ottawacaregiver.com. Her favourite volunteer activities are to raise funds to buy quilts for residents of long-term care facilities, and to provide loot bags for the homeless and school backpacks for kids of low-income families.
