Search PentictonNow
It wasn't nearly as busy as it is on national holidays like Canada Day or during top-tier local events where people pay to play, like the Gran Fondo. But Gyro Park Saturday morning was still an important place to be with all sorts of important folks gathered about.
It was, officially, called "Total Restoration presents Volunteers Matter," but take away all that official stuff and what's left over was a very well stocked pancake breakfast aimed squarely at all those selfless people who freely give up their time to help make the city a better place.
In other words, volunteers.
Indeed, neither Canada Day or the Fondo would function nearly as smoothly, if at all, without the very people knocking back pancakes Saturday morning on the final day of National Volunteer Week.
Take Penticton's Christine Crowley for example, who showed up with buddy Ingrid Perkins. Both have been volunteering locally for years.
"It's giving back to the community," she said. "People helping people. We volunteer everywhere and I do almost every event -- Elvis Fest, Ribfest, Peach Fest, Gran Fondo, Ironman.
"At Ribfest we do the recyclables. At Peach Fest we do park cleanup, so we're there a 6 am. There's a group of five of us who are regulars."
We asked what makes her such a giving person, and she was quick on the reply. "I like to tell people to smarten up," she laughed.
On a more serious note, Crowley said the region -- and the current volunteers -- could do with a lot more of the same.
"We definitely need more," she said. "All we can get. Sometimes we end up doing double or triple shifts when the others don’t show up.
"But overall we get treated really well. We get after-parties, we get shirts, we get lots of stuff. They're good to us."
Volunteering to help the volunteers on this cool Saturday morning were folks like lead sponsors Total Restoration Services, the Penticton Fire Dept., a bunch of City of Penticton councilpersons and one mayor, and guys like Cameron Betts, the owner of Betts Electric and Security.
"We're a sponsor of Volunteer Week," he said, "and the volunteer breakfast. It's the second year for the event and the second year we've been a sponsor."
Betts said he comes about his appreciation of volunteers honestly. His family was involved with volunteer activities throughout his youth.
"I’m a sucker for a good cause," he said. "It's great to be part of the community and it's a nice way to give back and connect us with people we do business with and people we're partners with."
Overseeing everything was Subrina Monteith. Monteith wears a whole bunch of hats, including that of RDOS Area I director and, of more significance this day, executive director of event organizing body South Okanagan Similkameen Volunteer Centre - a place where volunteers find organizations with which they want to hook up.
"We've grown from just under 80 members (organizations looking for volunteers) to just over 120," she said, "and we have more than 1000 volunteers we interact with every month."
According to Monteith, people "want to volunteer."
"It’s a way of giving back to the community on your own terms," she said. "They're there because they want to be, not just to be rewarded with a payment."
And, she added, the Volunteer Centre helps ensure those who want to give their time end up where they want to be.
"With a volunteer centre, you're not obligated to connect with or stay with any one organization," she said. "It’s almost like shopping. You can figure out what's best for you in your situation. Or, if you need a change."
If you're part of organization/event needing volunteers or a prospective volunteer, check out the South Okanagan Similkameen Volunteer Centre website here.