Happy National Volunteer Week

A volunteer helps out at a breakfast program for children in New Westminster.

A volunteer action is like a stone thrown in a lake: it has a direct impact that reaches far and wide. Volunteers are part of the ripple effect that improves communities. At United Way, the ripple effect created by our volunteers is felt right across the Lower Mainland. From employee campaign chairs to our volunteers who serve on our Campaign Cabinet and our Board of Directors, we thank our volunteers. One particular group of volunteers is the United Way British Columbia Board of Directors. The Board is a group of volunteers who are leaders in their professions and in our community. They help govern United Way with a mix of knowledge, insight and passion. The Board sets strategic directions and monitors our performance. They keep us accountable and ensure that when you give to United Way your gift goes as far as possible to help families and vulnerable people. Meet our Board!Steve Hunt – District 3, United Steelworkers Union Steve Hunt is our Board Chair and has been Director of District 3 of United Steelworkers since October, 2005. Having worked as a miner, Steve has represented steelworkers in delegations to Chile, Peru, South Africa, Mexico and Europe. He is active in the New Democratic Party and led District 3’s highly effective political action program. Steve holds a charter director designation from Degroote Business School at McMaster University and the Conference Board of Canada. Jerry Lampert – BC Treaty Commission Jerry Lampert is our Vice-Chair. He served as President and CEO of the Business Council of B.C. He was a principal in a government relations/public affairs consulting firm, served as Chief of Staff to two Premiers, and managed two successful provincial election campaigns in B.C. He has served on several boards including the Board of the Vancouver Art Gallery, and as President of Temple Sholom Synagogue. Jerry holds an Honorary Doctorate of Technology from BCIT and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Carleton University. James Belsheim – Neptune Bulk Terminals (Canada) Ltd. James Belsheim is the President of Neptune Bulk Terminals. Jim is the Vice Chair of the BC Chamber of Commerce, a director of the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association, a director on the Board of Presentation House Theater, past director of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia (2007 – 2011), and an enthusiastic supporter of United Way. Mark Blucher – ICBC Mark joined ICBC in August 2010 as the Senior Vice President of Insurance, and was appointed President and CEO in November 2013. Mark is an associate of the Financial Services Institute of Australia, and a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at INSEAD, an international business school and research institution. Dr. George Davison – Federation of Post-Secondary Educators Dr. George Davison holds a BAs with Honours and Master of Arts in Canadian History from Carleton University and a Ph.D. in Canadian History from the University of Alberta. He is Secretary-Treasurer of the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators (FPSE). He has taught Canadian history for much of the last 22 years in Prince George. He has also taught at Carleton, McMaster, and McGill Unversities, to name a few. John DeLucchi – PwC John DeLucchi is the Board’s Secretary-Treasurer. He is a member of the BC Region Leadership Team at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. He is director and treasurer of LifeSciences British Columbia (formerly BC Biotech). John was a founding member and director of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in BC. Gwenne Farrell – COPE 378 An economist, financial analyst, and longtime union activist, Gwenne Farrell was acclaimed as COPE-SEPB national Secretary-Treasurer at the union’s national convention in June, 2007. As the Vice President representing the BC Hydro Groups of COPE Local 378, Gwenne is the primary political and union representative for over 3,000 workers in the British Columbia energy sector. Gordon Fisher – Pacific Newspaper Group Gordon Fisher is President of Pacific Newspaper Group, leading both The Vancouver Sun and The Province as well as their digital offspring. He is also involed with the Postmedia Network and the National Post. Gordon has served on several boards and is currently a member of the Canadian and North American boards of the Alliance for Audited Media. Joey Hartman – Vancouver and District Labour Council Joey Hartman is president of the Vancouver & District Labour Council, representing 70,000 workers in the Vancouver area. She grew up in Vancouver and has 30 years of experience as a trade union and social activist. She currently holds several elected positions including VDLC president and member of the Education, Women’s and International Affairs committees. Amber Hockin – Canadian Labour Congress Amber Hockin is with the Canadian Labour Congress. Amber began working as a member of CUPE, Airline Division. She is responsible for the successful operation of the CLC Winter School, held in Harrison each year. Dr. Paul Kershaw – UBC Dr. Paul Kershaw is a farmer morning and night. By day, he is an academic, public speaker, and volunteer. One of Canada’s leading thinkers about family policy, he received two national prizes from the Canadian Political Science Association. Dr. Kershaw is the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) Scholar of Social Care, Citizenship and the Determinants of Health at UBC. Rudy Kerklaan – Connor, Clark and Lunn Private Capital Ltd. Rudy is one of the founders of Connor, Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. He has volunteered his time and been a strong supporter of United Way for over twenty years including Co-Chairing the Campaign Cabinet in 2003. United Way runs in the families’ blood: Rudy’s two daughters both served as Loaned Reps for United Way British Columbia. Winnie Leong – Scotiabank BC Yukon Winnie Leong is responsible for the Scotiabank’s outreach to multicultural communities across Canada leading a team in developing products and programs to meet the needs of newcomers to Canada. She was the District Vice President of Vancouver/Central B.C. & Yukon. Winnie completed the Ivey Executive Program in 2005 and has a Personal Financial Planner designation. Anna Lilly – Fleishman–Hillard, Vancouver Anna Lilly is senior vice president with Fleishman-Hillard Canada. She is a communication strategist specializing in public affairs, media relations, corporate communications and social media. In April 2011, Ms. Lilly was recognized with an Achieving Communications Excellence (ACE) award from the Canadian Public Relations Society. Sarah Sidhu – Initio Group Our Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee of the Board, Sarah Sidhu, joined the Initio Group, a Vancouver based early stage investment fund in June 2012. She is a practicing lawyer and has experience in areas of corporate, commercial and securities law. Sarah currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Musicfest Vancouver. Duncan Sinclair – Deloitte Canada Duncan has more than 26 years of experience in public accounting. He is Governor of the British Columbia Business Council; a Board Member for Global Projects Group, Stanford University; and a Member of the Business Advisory Council of the Alberta School of Business. Duncan holds a Bachelor of Commerce, a Graduate Diploma in Servant Leadership (Gonzaga University), and a Masters of Arts in Organizational Leadership (Gonzaga University). F. Lee Van Horn – The Palomar Consulting Group F. Lee Van Horn is a founding partner of The Palomar Consulting Group, a strategic management and human resources consulting firm. Lee has been a member of various Boards including: The Niagara Institute; the Burnham Cancer Research Institute, La Jolla, CA; and President of the San Diego Organization Development Network. Herman Van Ommen – McCarthy Tetrault Herman Van Ommen, Q.C. is the Regional Managing Partner, B.C. Mr. Van Ommen was recognized in the 2013 Benchmark Canada, The Definitive Guide to Canada’s Leading Litigation Firms & Attorneys as a local litigation star in the specialty areas of arbitration and securities. He has an AV Preeminent peer ranking by Martindale, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Damon Williams – RBC Global Asset Management Inc. Damon is Co-CEO at RBC Global Asset Management Inc.(RBC GAM). He sits on RBC GAM’s Board of Directors and is a member of the Executive Committee. Prior to RBC, Damon worked at a large multinational insurance, risk management and human capital consulting firm. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst. Join the conversation On Monday, April 13th, from 11:00 am 12:00 noon PDT, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston will be taking part in a live Twitter session to kick off National Volunteer Week. In the event, the Governor General hopes to “create a dialogue about volunteerism and its “ripple effect” (this year’s theme) but with a focus on the concept of Boomerang Giving and engage young Canadians in a conversation about the unexpected bonuses they received by giving of their time.” Photo above: A volunteer helps out at a breakfast program for children in New Westminster.

Topics : Volunteers