Share the Love: Celebrating Why We Volunteer

This month we encourage you to share the love by fostering connections, mentorship and opportunity through volunteering. The commitment from volunteers like you provides countless athletes a chance to learn, grow and play in a sport they enjoy. We volunteer because we want to. We strive to make our athletic community prosper by creating safe, inclusive and positive spaces for players. Volunteering not only benefits the athletes, but it also leaves a lasting impact that reaches the heart, fulfilling one's passion.

Giving back to sport creates reciprocity, where athletes impacted by exceptional volunteers, in turn, become volunteers themselves. Most, not all, but most volunteers were athletes at some point along their life journey. They know the impact it had to lend time to help an organization or athlete to grow. You can be this change, find a sport where you exhibit joy and join their team in bringing further opportunities.

From joining Powerchair Sport as a coach, president and a founder, Chase Petruska began volunteering in adaptive sports by coaching his brother in powerchair hockey with the Calgary Powerchair Hockey League. This experience brought Chase closer not only to his brother, but to every player in the league. He saw firsthand the impact sport had on their confidence, independence, and social connection. This led him to start the Lethbridge Powerchair Sports Association, so individuals in southern Alberta would have the same access to adaptive sport opportunities.

“On a personal level, volunteering has given me purpose and perspective. It reminds me every week why access to sport matters, and why creating inclusive, community-based opportunities can change lives, especially those who often do not have access to sport opportunities,” Chase said.

Not only did Chase find his passion personally, but volunteering in powerchair sports fundamentally shaped his professional path. He now researches the biological, psychological, and social health of individuals with physical disabilities, as well as the impact of adaptive powerchair sports participation.

See the rest of Chase Petruska’s story on the Volunteer Hub news.

Ask an athlete about their athletic journey, almost guaranteed, they talk about the coaches, refs, and helpers that impacted their skills, both mentally and physically, in their sport. This connection provides a safe environment to learn and grow, where we can be the difference, and give opportunity to someone to play. Share the love this season, and become immersed in a volunteer role that suits your passion. You can be that difference for someone.