Mirna Daher (2022)
I am Mirna, a Volunteer
with Art and Design background in the CICS’ SAFE Project.
Around the beginning of December 2019, I began searching for volunteer opportunities in arts and design that can bring out my skills while also making new friends and meeting amazing people. One day I was out with my friend, Alisar, and we were chatting about places where we could do volunteering activities. She told me to check out CICS because they may have amazing opportunities for people with art and design skills. I had never heard of this community agency before, but I did my research and found that it is a very welcoming place and values people’s work. I reached out to CICS and we agreed on a Mural wall project for the food bank. Unfortunately, Covid-19 started around March of 2020 and the project was on and off many times during the pandemic time and finally finished in the summer of 2022.
I was super happy that I can continue a project that I was looking forward to. Especially during Covid-19, I felt very sad and unmotivated because we were home 24/7 and had absolutely nothing to do. My daughter was also curious to see what I was working on. CICS is a true welcoming place, my daughter was also encouraged and welcomed to participate and earn volunteer hours for school. My daughter became my teammate on the mural project, we worked together with the food bank staff and volunteer team and got along very well. With the amazing people I met, after weeks, and months, we finished the project with love. Teamwork makes the dream work! It turned out to be awesome, all the colors, designs, and even handwritings in multiple languages, represented us as a team. The colors proved happiness, the design showed our talent of creativity, and the writings in different languages showed how each of us had a different story and who we were in Canadian society. The colorfulness and cultural diversity of this project represented that as Canadian new immigrants, we united as a big family here. We work together and achieve life goals together to make dreams come true.
I loved this food programs’ project as soon as I learned that CICS has their own garden and harvest corps to help people in the community suffering from food insecurity. I just want to thank CICS and the amazing people that I worked with. I am very grateful to be able to give back to my welcoming community by volunteering and doing simple projects for a big result. My dream and goal would not have been possible without you. CICS changed mine and my family's life during, and after the pandemic. Thank you CICS! I am looking forward to more amazing and creative art projects to do with your staff team and other volunteers in the community!
Raymark Bancolita (2022)
We are
Micheline and Germain Desjardins. We moved from Quebec to Toronto, Ontario
in 1979 with our two daughters, they were 5 and 7 at the time. We had to
learn English and it was not easy because the girls were going into a
French school and church but everything else was in English. We settled to
Scarborough in 1986 and have not moved since.
Prior to CICS, I had no relevant work and volunteer experience to draw from as I had just recently graduated from College. I had significant issues applying concepts of teamwork, communication, and public speaking. However, as part of the volunteer team for the Food Pantry Program I was able to find myself within situations which pushed me out of my comfort zones. Some examples include; working alongside volunteers and staff with different lived experiences, speaking with clients to better understand their needs, or overcoming language barriers. I felt nervous taking the initiative in the moment but at the end of the day, I can proudly look back and acknowledge the hard work and growth. This has allowed me to improve in lacking areas but to truly express myself in a manner which benefits everyone.
One of the reasons I found success at CICS was from volunteer program management. Through my time alongside staff, they were friendly and quick to help with any issues. I could always look to them for support or for direction. Evidently, my volunteering experience with management was very positive as they are accommodating to the needs of volunteers. Being able to have this volunteer experience as part of my professional resume has also helped in securing employment for the long-term; a dream every post-secondary student hopes to achieve within the first couple of years after finishing their degree.
Overall, my time at CICS has been very productive as I was able to grow on a personal and professional level. I have made impactful friendships, met the community to which I served and have helped to keep families, students, immigrants, and the elderly fed during the pandemic. My time was thoroughly enjoyed as volunteering has allowed me to meet people I would never come across within daily life. I would highly recommend volunteering at CICS for anyone looking to meet new people, for making a change in the community, or those looking to develop themselves professionally to seek employment.