Beer & Fringe & Win by Graeme & Sara Bunton & Peel (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Marc Ragusa
Special to The Dialog
As the season starts to warm up, new opportunities begin to follow. If you’re looking for something new or unique to do during the spring and summer months, why not lend a hand and volunteer?
In a city as diverse as Toronto, the opportunities range from festivals to fundraisers and just about everything in between.
The Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival, July 2-13: Chances are that you’ve heard of it, maybe even seen a show. Ever considered volunteering for it? The Fringe movement is worldwide, and it aims to give aspiring new artists and performers an empowered voice. One shift equals one voucher for a show. Volunteer opportunities include ushers, ticket sales and event support. This year’s festival features 148 shows in 35 venues with more than 1,100 performances. Rest assured the artists benefit as they receive 100 per cent of the ticket sales. Coming out to lend a hand ensures a unique, fun and rewarding experience. Sign up info can be found at volunteer@fringeinfo.com.
Food Banks Canada: Fighting hunger is always a need, regardless of the season. There are specific opportunities during the spring to help the organizations that help those in need. Also to remember, May 5-9 is hunger awareness week. If you have the time and are inclined to make a difference, running your own food drive with friends or co-workers for your local food bank is an option worth considering and so is coming in and lending your time to help sort through goods. When 850,000 Canadians are assisted by food banks on a monthly basis and 36.4 per cent of them are children and youth, you know it’s a worthy cause. Of course, every day is a great day to sign up. You can go to foodbankscanada.ca to find your local food bank and find out how you can help.
For all the nature lovers, there are various ways to have a great experience while taking care of the environment. The City of Toronto offers plenty of volunteering with its parks, forestry and recreation department. Here you’ll get to do a variety of activities, from tree planting to park clean-ups. Other activities include a stewardship program and working with children, where you’ll help to get them involved with nature using the High Park Children’s Eco program. This time of year is perfect for getting fresh air, exercise and volunteering. You can sign up at or extend inquiries to greentoronto@toronto.ca or call 311.
Harbourfront Centre is a given for anyone looking to check out a cultural destination, but you may or not have considered to volunteer here. The season itself lasts from May to October. Attracting many different types of arts enthusiasts, Harbourfront does indeed cater to your inner creative with opportunities to pitch in and see what’s on for the day. Harbourfront offers a wide array of arts shows and programs from dances and concerts to plays and films.
This preview only gives a small sample of what’s available. If you’re looking to make a difference in our city this summer, you may also want to check out volunteertoronto.ca and charityvillage.ca for more listings.
In a city as diverse as Toronto, there’s something for everyone looking to help out, meet new people and try something different.
