Hello all

As you will have seen from the recent e-blast sent out by Imagine Canada, charities and nonprofit organizations provide support to Canadians in every community across the country and many provide essential services. It is important for us to be prepared for events that could hinder our ability to be there for Canadians in difficult times.

The H1N1 (Human Swine Flu) pandemic is such an event. Although there are conflicting opinions about how serious the pandemic is likely to be, it makes sense for organizations to be prepared.

One of the main links that Imagine Canada pointed to in terms of preparedness is one of our program sites here at Volunteer Canada > www.readyforcrisis.ca or www.pretpourlacrise.ca.

Further to the information piece that Imagine Canada released, we would like to address the overall potential impact on volunteerism.  We will aim to get something into our September issue of eVOLution but to do so, I would like to hear from all of you who work at the national level.  We’re thinking of things such as “what if seniors are sick and people don’t want to deliver meals to them...or vice versa? Will volunteers be allowed in hospitals, etc.?  Lots of the old SARS issues may rise to the fore again.

Has your organization started considering the possible implications in terms of the service your volunteers provide?  Have you gone to www.readyforcrisis.ca and taken the preparedness quiz to see what needs to be addressed in your organization?  What potential impact on volunteerism do you foresee should this flu season be more detrimental than those of previous years?

I look forward to your response at your earliest convenience as we prepare our next issue of eVOLution.

Thanks.

Don Lapierre
Senior Manager, Programs and Voluntary Sector Relations /

Directeur principal, Programmes et relations avec le secteur bénévole
Volunteer Canada / Bénévoles Canada
353 Dalhousie Street / 353, rue Dalhousie
Ottawa, ON  K1N 7G1
Tel./Tél. : 613-231-4371 ext./poste 234
1 800 670-0401
Fax./Téléc. : 613-231-6725
www.volunteer.ca / www.benevoles.ca

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