BC volunteers experience the impact of their efforts… in Peru

MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 1, 2014 /CNW/ - Right now, three World Vision volunteers from BC -- Robert Edwards from Burnaby, Carmen Denby from Kelowna and Sue Cronck from Abbotsford -- are in Peru, discovering the impact of World Vision programs first hand. The group is working on projects in Tierra Prometida, Genesis, Miramar and Alto Chicama, and getting to know some of the local children who are in need of sponsors. Upon their return, Robert, Carmen and Sue will celebrate National Volunteer Week (April 6 - 12) with a new appreciation for the true value of the unpaid hours they dedicate every year.

Volunteers are essential to World Vision, as they are to community groups, hospitals, shelters, churches, and other not-for-profit organizations. They teach, they lead, they support, they sacrifice, they inspire… and they make it possible for entire sectors, like international development, to thrive. Their efforts allow organizations to be better stewards of their donors' dollars and make every donation reach that much further. In Canada alone, half of all non-profit organizations and charities are entirely run by volunteers. Roughly, this means that for every person employed at a charity, there are seven volunteers.

Quick Facts:

• According to the 2010 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating by Statistics Canada, volunteers in Canada have increased by 1 million in Canada since 2007.
• From the same survey, 13.3 million Canadians, or about half the population over the age of 15, have volunteered.
• The Gallup World Poll found that 16 per cent of the adult population worldwide volunteers with an organization.
• If volunteers were a nation, they would make up the 10th largest country in the world.

For more statistics and helpful infographics, please follow this link.

NOTE: Robert Edwards and Sue Cronck will be returning to BC April 10^th and 8^th respectively. Carmen Denby will be extending her stay and can be available via Skype from Peru.

World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.

Image with caption: "Volunteering infographic (CNW Group/World Vision Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140401_C8120_PHOTO_EN_38698.jpg

SOURCE: World Vision Canada

For additional information, or to arrange an interview, please contact: Robin MacKenzie - 647-535-3431 or [email protected]