Volunteers a vital piece of school communities

By Dave Flaherty/The Oshawa Express

Volunteers are the lifeline of any community, and it’s no different in any of the hundreds of schools across Durham Region.

With this in mind, the Durham District School Board held its 16th annual Volunteer of Distinction Awards ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 25 where it honoured more than 130 volunteers from schools across the region for their commitments to their school communities.

“Our students, parents, and families benefit greatly from their dedication and enthusiasm to be part of the school community,” says Michael Barrett, Oshawa trustee and chairperson for DDSB.

“DDSB volunteers are a great support to our students, and they help them to reach their goals to be successful. We are happy to give our volunteers the recognition they deserve at this special event,” Lisa Millar, director of education stated. “We appreciate their giving spirit, and commitment to our school community.”

One of the hundreds of volunteers recognized was Denise Dillon, who volunteers at Walter E. Harris Public School on Central Park Boulevard in Oshawa.

Dillon is the mother of twin Grade 4 students at the school. Three years ago, she joined the student community council (SCC) as secretary. Over the past few years, she has moved into the role of treasurer for the organization.

“Every month, I review any expenditures that might go through the SCC, such as booking a DJ for an upcoming dance, or our weekly lunches. I need to make sure all our credits and debits line up,” Dillon told The Oshawa Express.

She is also in charge of keeping track of any fundraising the SCC may do.

Dillon also heads up the weekly lunch program that runs three days a week at the school.

In the past, the organization held a monthly pizza day, and Dillon says it wasn’t making much sense anymore and was rather costly. She suggested joining Healthy Hunger, an online management system for school lunch coordinators.

“It streamlines the process which makes it a lot easier to organize,” she says.

Dillon’s involvement in the program is also proactive as she is at the school three days a week to help hand out and deliver the lunches.

Being a volunteer has rewarded her in many ways, and helped her get to know the school community a lot better.

“In my opinion, you are no longer just a name on your kid’s report card. You get to know the teachers in the hallway,” she says.

It also allowed her to become more acquainted with the parents of her children’s friends and fellow students.

“It’s a great group of parents at the school, and we’ve become a little family. We all get frustrated once in a while, but we have a lot of laughs,” she says.

The recognition ceremony held by the board is appreciated by volunteers such as Dillon.

“I think it’s a great idea. An official thank you goes a long way,” she says.

Another parent giving their time is Katie Wallace.

She serves as the chair of the SCC at Jeanne Sauvé French Immersion School in Oshawa.

“I just put myself out there to participate. I felt that was the way my parents were, and just made the school a more comfortable environment,” she says.

Wallace is heavily involved with fundraising efforts at the school, including a recent Halloween dance-a-thon.

“Last year we did really well. We put Chromebooks in the library and got a scoreboard for our gymnasium.”

She also participates in regional SCC meetings and helps to apply for grants to schedule events such as the annual Math Night.

In any given month, she gives five to 40 hours of her time depending on the tasks at hand.

But at the end of the day, it’s well worth it to her.

“To be honest, I love walking in the school and seeing the students happy. Seeing the things we’ve provided the school by doing fundraising, I love knowing that it is helping them, and everything we are doing is benefiting them,” Maxwell states.

There is a social benefit for her and her family as well.

“There are a few people that we’ve become closer with, and we hung out quite a bit over the summer,” she says.

Similar to Dillon, Wallace says the annual ceremony put on by the school is a great touch.

“I think it’s really great that they recognize the work that goes into it.”