Volunteers could use a little help
Tuesday, Oct 18, 2011 06:00 am
Published on the Carstairs Courier
An unknown author once wrote, “Volunteers are not paid – not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless.”
While that sentiment continues to ring true today, with over 50 per cent of Albertans regularly volunteering their time, many municipal volunteer organizations are struggling to recruit and retain new members given today’s more mobile society. Faced with dwindling numbers some groups have folded, while others plod along with the same group volunteering for every event.
One possible solution exists in offering tax breaks to those residents who participate in volunteer activities with registered charities. While many volunteer groups suggest the idea is the answer to declining numbers, critics charge that the idea just doesn’t make sense.
