Inspired to give back

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This article was published 29/04/2014 (4464 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Give and you shall receive.

Rebecca Trudeau, 20, a community development student at Red River College’s Notre Dame Campus, was presented with a 2014 Premier’s Volunteer Service Award in the youth category at the 31st annual Volunteer Week Awards Dinner, held April 9 at the RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg.

Trudeau, a graduate of Collège Louis-Riel, was recognized for her many contributions to Winnipeg Harvest, as well as Siloam Mission, St.Amant Centre, Canadian Blood Services and the North End Community Renewal Corporation.

“I’ve been volunteering at Winnipeg Harvest for two or three years. I started at reception and group hosting and then I did the Tools for School program,” said Trudeau, speaking of Harvest’s annual school supply drive.

Trudeau isn’t just giving her time and energy to Winnipeg Harvest — she’s giving back. Raised by a single mom, she and her family depended on Harvest for many a meal.

“I grew up on social assistance,” Trudeau said. “I’ve been there. I understand where people are coming from and that’s why I want to help. It inspires me to give back.”

Tammy Watson, volunteer services co-ordinator at Winnipeg Harvest, said Trudeau is a model volunteer.

“She ran our Tools for School program, which helps out over 2,000 students a year, and she organized that whole thing on her own,” Watson said. “I call her the ‘school fairy.’ She would come in when I was leaving for the day, and there would be boxes and boxes and all of this stuff to figure out, and the next morning everything would be neat and tidy.

“She has a huge heart and a huge passion for helping.”

That passion is infectious, as Trudeau recently got her mom, Kerry Weyman, volunteering at Harvest. Weyman said her daughter is an inspiring person.

“I’m so proud of her,” Weyman said. “She’s kind, she’s generous and she gives back to the community. She’s really enjoying working at Winnipeg Harvest, and going to school on top of that, she’s just busy, busy, busy.”

Trudeau, who also runs the food bank at Red River College, was recently hired on by Harvest, where she works part-time in volunteer services.

“I mostly give orientations and teach volunteers about their impact and how important it is that they’re there and what they’re doing,” Trudeau said.

“What I say during the orientations is ‘I know it seems very tedious and annoying that you’re sorting potatoes, but that could be the only thing somebody eats that day,’ just teaching people about volunteering and what kind of difference it’s making for people.”