Family Resource Centres Recognized During Volunteer Week

COMMUNITY SERVICES--Family Resource Centres Recognized During Volunteer Week

Volunteers who dedicate their time and efforts to Nova Scotia's 36 family resource centres were recognized this week for promoting healthy environments for young children and their families.

"Nova Scotians volunteer their time more than anyone else in Canada and, day in and day out, these volunteers share their skills and talents with families at family resource centres across the province," said Community Services Minister David Morse. "Working together, we have raised the bar of volunteer involvement and are building better futures for young Nova Scotians."

National Volunteer Week -- held Sunday, April 17 to Saturday, April 23 -- is a time to honour and thank volunteers for their contributions to their communities and to highlight the positive impact volunteers have on everyone in the community. Nova Scotians contribute 183 hours of volunteer work on average each year -- 43 per cent more than the national average.

Premier John Hamm and Community Services Minister David Morse recognized these vast contributions by issuing a certificate of appreciation for each of Nova Scotia's family resource centres and a congratulatory letter to centre volunteers.

Family resource centres are non-profit, community-based organizations that offer a variety of services for families in communities across Nova Scotia. Led by staff knowledgeable in child and family development, these centres are an information, support, educational and referral resource for parents and caregivers. Services and supports offered by each centre are tailored to meet the needs of the local community.

Following a commitment to promote greater volunteer involvement in family resource centres, Nova Scotia introduced the Volunteer Initiative in the spring of 2004. Under this initiative, a provincial workshop was held with family resource centre representatives last fall to share successes and to inform future support for volunteers in family resource centres. Recently, 12 family resource centres received grants to support projects that enrich their volunteer programs. A provincial working group of family resource centre and Community Services' representatives is currently developing a training strategy intended to build upon the expertise of family resource centres in volunteerism.

Funding for the Volunteer Initiative has been provided by the Early Childhood Development Initiative, a federal-provincial agreement to enhance early childhood development programs and services.