Volunteers Just Want to Have Fun
Story appeared in the 2018 issue of QMS Connections Magazine.
BY HAYLEY PICARD, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
ALUMNI JANET HARDER (GRIER, ’81)
Connecting with like-minded individuals and having fun while giving back through volunteering are important to Janet Harder.
QMS Alumni Janet Harder (left) and sister, Elizabeth Biberger (middle) serve up delicious pancakes with a fellow Rotarian during Duncan Summer Fest Days.
This QMS alumna sets the tone for her volunteerism with smiles, providing life enriching opportunities for youth around the world through her chosen charity, Rotary International.
Rotary International is a global network of volunteers who focus their energy on addressing some of our world’s most persistent problems such as fighting disease, promoting peace, growing local economies, making education accessible, and supporting mothers and their children. For Janet, choosing to volunteer with Rotary was an easy decision—it is a family tradition. Her father, Gordon Grier (QMS Board of Governors 1975–1985), served for many years and sister, Elizabeth Biberger (née Grier, ’80), joined the organization just ahead of Harder. “I grew up with Rotary as part of every facet of my life,” says Janet. “The group was such a big part of dad’s volunteering life and he always looked like he was having fun.”
The benefits of volunteering are well documented, but Harder believes that before committing, it is important to understand a selected organization, who is involved, how they give back, and their methods of connecting with the greater community. With busy lives and a multitude of family commitments, finding time to give back can be challenging, so volunteering for pleasure can be the key to a winning volunteer experience. Providing service to others can relieve physical tension, stimulate creative thinking, provide a greater sense of purpose, increase self-confidence, and supply joy in rallying to a common good. “If it isn’t fun when you’re volunteering and it feels like a lot of work, then it is not the right match,” Harder explains.
As a Speech-Language Pathologist and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Behaviour Analyst, Janet is a passionate advocate for youth, so she focuses her work through Rotary on their Youth Services initiatives. “From birth to finishing high school, Rotary provides support programs for children and their families,” outlines Harder. “Whether it is health and wellness courses, skill-based opportunities such as public speaking, or exchange programs to Ottawa and beyond, Rotary provides youth the chance to be healthy explorers of our larger world. Helping these efforts makes me feel good.”
As Janet spent more time with the organization, additional perks to volunteering became clear. Finding like-minded individuals in the Cowichan Valley resulted in her learning skills from local experts, expanding her business contacts, and exposing her to community options she had been unaware of. These positive relationships evolved into a solid camaraderie that turned volunteer “work” into volunteer leisure. “My favourite part of Rotary are the community based events such as the pancake breakfasts,” laughs Harder. “These events are community and fellowship based. They are really fun.”
Learning something new and discovering deep, meaningful social connections are healthy benefits to volunteering. When giving service provides volunteers with joyful experiences that create smiles and laughter, everyone wins.