Job requirement: Must love outdoors
Assiniboine Park Conservancy currently seeking 500 volunteers
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/05/2022 (1393 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
For Alyson Bulloch and Wayne Borodenko, volunteering is a walk in the park.
They are two of the hundreds of people who volunteer with the Assiniboine Park Conservancy, filling a variety of roles at the Winnipeg park and zoo.
“It has always been a happy place and it was such a wonderful part of my youth,” says Bulloch, who retired in 2011, after more than 40 years as an educator. “I wound up applying to be a volunteer in 2012, and I’ve been at the park ever since.”
Borodenko got involved after retiring in 2019, from his job in the quality assurance department at a pharmaceutical company. Like Bulloch, he has special memories of enjoying the park as a child.
“I actually grew up in the neighbourhood, so Assiniboine Park — and especially the zoo — was my playground,” he says. “When I was thinking about retiring, I knew I wanted to do more than sit around, so I decided to go back to the zoo.”
With a decade of involvement under her belt, Bulloch has served in a variety of capacities at the park. She’s greeted and helped visitors at the zoo, organized special events and assisted with volunteer training.
The people she comes in contact with keep her coming back year after year.
“It’s just so much fun interacting with the visitors, especially the children (at the zoo) — finding out what they’re excited about, what they’ve seen, what they’ve learned and all those kinds of things,” Bulloch says.
In the 2 1/2 years since Borodenko first got involved at the park, he’s volunteered in a variety of capacities. He’s assisted at special events like Boo at the Zoo and Zoo Lights, and he’s helped visitors as a park ambassador.
“The opportunities you get as a volunteer are almost infinite,” he says.
The Assiniboine Park Conservancy is currently seeking 500 volunteers in preparation for the summer season and the anticipated opening of the Leaf at Canada’s Diversity Gardens in late 2022.
The Leaf will be a multi-seasonal attraction, and volunteers will play a key role in ensuring visitors have an exceptional experience. Volunteers are essential to the Assiniboine Park Conservancy, says Shaun Leonoff, manager of volunteer services.
“Almost anywhere you could think of here, we have volunteers helping,” she says. “I can’t pinpoint one thing that volunteers do. They do just about everything.”
Positions are available to anyone 14 years of age and older. Youth 14-18 are invited to apply for the zoo camp crew and teen ambassador roles.
A variety of other opportunities are available for adult volunteers, including ambassador roles, visitor services concierge, special events assistants, and facilities and grounds support.
The application deadline for this season is June 15 (assiniboinepark.ca/volunteer).
“(Applicants) have to like the outdoors and they have to like people, but beyond that, I’m sure anyone can find a role at the park that will appeal to them,” Leonoff says.
“Give it a try,” she adds. “You’d be surprised what you find here.”
If you know a special volunteer, please contact
aaron.epp@gmail.com
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.
Every piece of reporting Aaron produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Volunteer opportunities
THE following is a list of volunteer opportunities for Winnipeg and surrounding areas. For more information about these listings, please contact the organization directly. Volunteer Manitoba does not place volunteers with organizations but can assist you in finding an opportunity. To learn more about its programs and services, go to www.volunteermanitoba.ca or call 204-477-5180.
Orioles Bike Cage is seeking friendly, energetic people to help with its annual bazaar and birthday party. The following volunteer positions are needed: information table, food service, carnival games, set-up and tear down. It is a six-hour commitment, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 15. Apply in person, by email at oriolesbikecage@gmail.com, or at www.bikecage.ca.
Bike and Circuses, presented by Winnipeg eco-theatre company Green Kids Inc., is seeking volunteers. The event runs from June 8-12 at Whittier Park. Volunteer duties include working the box office, assisting performers at their stages, helping patrons navigate the route, and more. Email daina@greenkids.com or call 204-940-4745 to apply. Closing date is June 12.
The Whoop & Hollar Folk Festival takes place on Aug. 27-28. Volunteers are needed for parking and traffic control, gate security and floater work (helping out where needed). Set-up and tear-down positions the week before and after the festival are also available. For six volunteer hours (three two-hour shifts) worked over the weekend, you will receive a free weekend admission. To apply, send an email with your qualifications and/or interests to volunteer@whoopandhollar.com. Closing date is June 15.
Inclusion Winnipeg is seeking board members with fund development experience. Experience in the following is considered an asset: capital or endowment campaigns, donor relations and retention, governance, and accreditation. The board meets about 10 times per year, and board members are expected to participate in a committee (governance, finance, advocacy, fund development) and attend the annual general meeting and planning sessions. Apply by email, with a resumé and cover letter, by June 15.
Newcomers Employment and Education Development Services (NEEDS) is seeking volunteer assistants to help staff members operate the remote after-school homework club. This program runs during the school year, Mondays through Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., helping newcomer and refugee children and youth in Grades 1 through 12 with homework in various subject areas. Email volunteers@needsinc.ca or call 204-940-1279 to apply, or go online to http://wfp.to/QHw for more information.
Age & Opportunity’s senior immigrant settlement services needs culturally sensitive volunteers who enjoy working with older people to check in weekly with socially isolated clients in their first language. Volunteers who speak multiple languages are encouraged to apply by emailing their resumé to mkapoor@aosupportservices.ca.
The Assiniboine Park Conservancy is recruiting volunteers ages 14 and older for roles in the park and zoo this summer. If you are interested in volunteering at the Leaf in Canada’s Diversity Gardens when it opens this fall, you must apply before June 15 to participate in training. For more information, go to http://wfp.to/QLH or email volunteer@assiniboinepark.ca.
Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter needs volunteers to help with animal care and shelter maintenance. Duties include feeding and watering cats, cleaning and disinfecting kennels, washing dishes, unfolding newspapers, and general cleaning and dusting. Must be 18 or older. Many different shifts available. Call Carla or Michelle at 204-832-9880. Go to www.petrescueshelter.com for more information about the shelter.
The Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities is seeking enthusiastic, creative and committed volunteers to join its fundraising committee. Events, donation drives and corporate sponsorship strategies are the primary objectives. Volunteers will attend a virtual committee meeting once a month, with additional time possibly required. For more information, email operations manager Kaye Grant at operations@mlpd.mb.ca.
The North Centennial Seniors Association of Winnipeg is seeking volunteers for its Grandma & Grandpa Swim Program. This nationally recognized program offers one-on-one pool play time with preschoolers from participating daycares. This is a one-hour commitment per week, in the pool or during snack/party times. A police record check is required. Call 204-582-0066 with any questions. Email letter of application to toncsc@shaw.ca.
The Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada is seeking committee members for the Winnipeg Brain Tumour Walk. Volunteers will help the walk co-ordinator plan and implement the “pit stop,” seek potential sponsorships, and source and collect items for a virtual auction. Committee planning for the walk continues until the event on June 17. The level of commitment is flexible. Email cmcdonnell@braintumour.ca by June 1.
Volunteers are needed to make thank-you calls to donors on behalf of the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation. The initiative will encourage donors to continue to support fundraising efforts. Applications are being accepted for participation over the next two months. The time commitment is one to two hours per week. Volunteers will participate remotely, by telephone. Email ccmbvolservices@cancercare.mb.ca or phone 204-787-2121.
The Canadian Red Cross is seeking volunteers. When disaster strikes, you can help, and the Red Cross can show you how. Go to www.redcross.ca/volunteer, email volunteer@redcross.ca or call 1-844-818-2155.
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.
Every piece of reporting Aaron produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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