BIZ program gives volunteers opportunity to show pride in their Village

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Volunteering in Osborne Village has never been easier.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/06/2023 (1211 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Volunteering in Osborne Village has never been easier.

The Osborne Village BIZ has launched It Takes a Village, a volunteer drop-in program that invites residents and visitors to help make the neighbourhood a cleaner, more vibrant community.

The program offers three weekly opportunities. On Litter Picking Sundays, volunteers clean up debris; on Window Washing Wednesdays, volunteers wash windows and sidewalks; and on Landscaping Thursdays, volunteers help with light tasks such as weeding and watering flowers.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
                                Kirsten Goldstone is a new volunteer with the Osborne Village BIZ’s It Takes a Village volunteer program. She has called Osborne Village home for the past eight years.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

Kirsten Goldstone is a new volunteer with the Osborne Village BIZ’s It Takes a Village volunteer program. She has called Osborne Village home for the past eight years.

Additionally, volunteers can sign up to be community ambassadors and lend support during events in the neighbourhood.

There is no commitment required. Volunteers can join once, a few times or as often as they want.

“We want to meet volunteers where they’re at,” says Lindsay Somers, executive director of the Osborne Village BIZ. “Though we have set times, there are also opportunities for people to drop in and lend a hand whenever and however they’d like.”

The BIZ had volunteers helping on an informal basis last year, and its Earth Day cleanup event this past April drew more than 100 people.

That inspired the organization to create the new program.

“It was pretty fantastic to see neighbours meeting one another (on Earth Day), having conversation and just really connecting,” Somers says.

The BIZ launched the program in mid-May and more than 20 people are already involved.

Kirsten Goldstone signed up to volunteer on Litter Picking Sundays because she wants to make a difference in her neighbourhood.

“I live in a great community with great people and I’m proud of where I live,” says Goldstone, 38. “I want to contribute even in a small way toward making Winnipeg a nice place and a place people are proud of.”

Goldstone has called Osborne Village home for the past eight years.

“I like that it’s a very walkable community,” she says. “You’re just a short walk from things that are in the Village, whether it’s shopping or parks. It’s also walkable to downtown, St. Boniface and the Corydon Village area.”

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
                                “I want to contribute even in a small way toward making Winnipeg a nice place and a place people are proud of,” says Kirsten Goldstone, a volunteer with the Osborne Village BIZ’s It Takes a Village volunteer program.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

“I want to contribute even in a small way toward making Winnipeg a nice place and a place people are proud of,” says Kirsten Goldstone, a volunteer with the Osborne Village BIZ’s It Takes a Village volunteer program.

“There’s lots of ink spilled over whether Osborne Village is declining or not,” she adds. “I think Osborne Village still has some character and it’s still a great neighbourhood.”

When Goldstone showed up for her first volunteer shift, she was impressed by Litter Picking Sundays leader Dan Gordon.

“(He) had maps, he had a plan, he had thought about all these details, so all I did was grab a picker and a bag and I picked up litter for an hour-and-a-half,” she says. “There’s something satisfying about picking up litter. The results are visible.”

Somers is pleased with the response the program has received so far.

“It’s really reassuring and it’s motivating to know that the work the BIZ is doing is profoundly supported by the community,” she says. “The community is really wanting improvements in (the) neighbourhood but is also willing to lend a hand to implement those changes.”

Volunteers will receive discounts from select businesses as a token of appreciation.

To learn more about the program and sign up, visit Osborne Village BIZ website.

If you know a special volunteer, please contact aaron.epp@gmail.com.

Aaron Epp

Aaron Epp
Reporter

Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. Read more about Aaron.

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