BY ALBERT KRAMBERGER

editor@transcontinental.ca

With the help of some 20,000 volunteers, Volunteer West Island (VWI) is able to mark its 40th anniversary this year of making a difference in the community.

The organization held a thank-you Christmas luncheon for some of its volunteers on Monday at its offices in Ste. Anne de Bellevue.

VWI, formally known as West Island Volunteer Bureau, was founded in 1967 by Elizabeth Russell who wanted “a link between those who need and those who wish to give.” The agency initially set up shop on Cartier Avenue in Pointe Claire, then on Dawson Avenue in Dorval before moving to its current locale in Ste. Anne. VWI's mission is to recruit and train volunteers to meet the diverse needs of the community. Over the years other support programs and services, including Meals on Wheels, were added to help eliminate social isolation for seniors.

As VWI chairman Richard Yates mentioned at the luncheon, the agency wouldn't be able to function without dedicated volunteers. One such volunteer is Harriet Tunmer, who is the 'grand formage' of the Meals on Wheels program in Baie d'Urfé, Beaconsfield, Ste. Anne and Senneville.

Tunmer, 75, has been with Meals on Wheels for 15 years now and there are no signs she is ready to slow down, even as she gets around in her Smart car.

"I enjoy still being able to something for society," she told The Chronicle, adding that on top of her VWI duties she also does some private tutoring and sits on the board of the Ecomuseum.

Finding new volunteers, for long-term assignments to single events, is the goal of VWI, said recruitment committee member Norm Budd, 56, a former Air Canada executive.

The Pincourt resident said they had identified four segments of society to recruit from: corporate, families, schools and individuals. As for corporate volunteers, Budd said they emphasize such out-of-office activities promote team building. "We're pretty well suited to match them up with an organization that suits them," he said. "Volunteering can be done in many different ways."

VWI wants new volunteers to realize they can choose their own level of commitment. "We're trying to change the perception that it's a lifetime commitment," Budd said. "It could be for a month or a single day once a year. Of course, there are some reoccurring opportunities such as Meals on Wheels."

For more information, check volunteerwestisland.org.