About 100 people who volunteered during Pride Week gathered at the Jupiter Lounge on Bute St Aug 11 for comfort food and cocktails.
The event was organized by the Vancouver Pride Society (VPS) to thank all those who lent their time and talent to help make all the Pride Week events possible.
Xtra West sponsored this thank-you event and assisted VPS in recruiting volunteers instead of entering a float in the parade this year.
Last year the VPS pulled off the Pride celebration with only 22 volunteers. This year, 127 people came forward to help.
Aside from complimentary nibblies, each volunteer received a certificate of appreciation. There were scads of prizes drawn for volunteers including a trip for two to Los Angles courtesy of WestJet. The winner of the trip was Jeffrey Lim.
“The quote on the certificates,” says VPS president Shawn Ewing, “is ‘never underestimate the power of a group of dedicated people.’ That is truly a summation.”
Ewing encourages anyone who’d like to volunteer over the course of the coming year to do so.
“If people want to come and see the board meetings, let us know because we’re restricted in size, but we’ll certainly move it if enough people are interested in seeing the board in process,” she says.
“At the AGM [scheduled for October] there are about five positions that will become vacant,” she continues, “but outside of that, you don’t need to be on the board to be part of a committee.”
Why you can trust Xtra
