The Giver is written by Ottawa Mag account manager Dee Campbell, who knows that people prefer to volunteer in ways that speak to their interests. Dee has volunteered for the Terry Fox Run since she was a little girl and is a Brownie Leader of 15 years.

PLAY TEACHER FOR A DAY
Years ago, I spent one day with a grade 7 class playing the role of teacher, thanks to Junior Achievement. Topic of the day (determined by JA): personal money management. I swear it wasn’t boring. It couldn’t be.  We did role-playing, we looked at bank accounts and savings, we talked about the perceived value of things, and ultimately I challenged them to think more about money, wants, and needs.   Programs like this can literally change the course of a student’s life. And it only takes a day.

ARE YOU A PARTY PERSON?
Open Streets Festival kicks off one of my fave City of Ottawa initiatives, The Commute Smart Challenge, where residents try sustainable modes of transportation in their daily travel from September 14-21.

But back to the party deets:
Date: Saturday, September 13 from 9 a.m.- 1 p.m.
Where: Open Streets Festival is in front of Main Street Farmers’ Market
What They Need: friendly people aged 14+ to animate the street in front of the market and celebrate the public space in interesting, imaginative and collaborative ways. That’s IT! Contact transport@envirocentre.ca to register.

WHAT’S YOUR VICE?
Could you give it up for the month of January? If you’re upping your health and fitness game at that time anyway (aka New Year’s resolution), why not drop chocolate, or booze, or chips for 31 days? But that’s not the volun-gig that needs filling by Victory Over Vice. To plan the big vice-drop, organizers need people to handle communications and event coordination. All proceeds from the fundraiser go directly to support Vesta, a women’s recovery program.