Volunteers are vital parts of any community, and a new initiative from the Read Right Society celebrates their importance in a unique and interesting way.
The non-profit society has created a puzzle that is four feet by four feet, with puzzle pieces that are three inches.
Volunteers are invited to drop by the Read Right Society office (895 3 Ave Unit D) and pick up a piece to take home. The hope is that they will tap into their artistic sides and decorate the piece through drawing or painting. When all the puzzle pieces are returned to the office, they’ll be assembled like a quilt, each piece unique like the volunteer who created it.
“We call volunteers the heartbeat of the community,” said Marion Baker, who runs the society’s Hope and Area Volunteer program. “Their big hearts and giving nature truly are the pieces of the puzzle that make a town more than just a place to live. Historically, Hope is a very engaged town with a lot of community events which could not be facilitated without them.”
With COVID cancelling so many things, things have been slow for the volunteer program. The need for volunteers simply hasn’t been there. Baker wanted a way to keep volunteers engaged and feeling appreciated. She said this idea was brought to them by a member of the community, and Baker’s colleague, Alex Dagnino, expanded on it.
Baker put word of the project out on Facebook and got immediate response.
”I just put something out on this yesterday (May 11) and already there are six people requesting pieces,” Baker said. “I’m pretty happy about that. I think this will be a summer long project, so they can take them whenever they want for as long as they want and they can get them back to us by the end of July.”
The Read Right Society also helps anybody with literacy issues, through things like homework and reading groups, tutoring, computer and ESL courses.
For more info, visit readrightsociety.com or visit them on Facebook (@hopeareavolunteers) or Instagram (hopevolunteerprogram).
To get puzzle pieces, email Baker at volunteer@readrightsociety.com.
RELATED: Hope program connecting young people with seniors one of first in B.C.
RELATED: Read Right Society conducive to futures with a healthy perspective