Hey all Do Gooders, Fefe Dobson here. Just like you, I believe in giving my time to help people. I was lucky to be part of the first Earth Hour concert at Nathan Philips Square in 2008 and 411 Initiative for Change.

So I have a new challenge for you today. It’s called ChangeTheWorld Ontario Youth Volunteer Challenge sponsored by the Province of Ontario. ChangeTheWorld encourages youth ages 14 to 18 to volunteer five hours during National Volunteer Week which is happening now: April 19-25, 2009.

I believe it’s important to show youth how important social responsibility is to our communities and how everyone can make a difference. Many volunteer centres across Ontario have opportunities waiting to be filled. You should think about this. Here are some facts about how volunteering helps everyone:

•    Over 5 million Ontario volunteers contribute the equivalent of more than 400,000 full-time jobs, worth over $10 billion annually, by volunteering for over 800 million hours a year.
•    Ontario’s volunteers have founded and govern over 45,000 nonprofit groups, of which 54% are entirely run by volunteers.

As Do Gooders, you know acts of kindness make a difference. I challenge you to hook up with your family and friends and contact your local volunteer centre through this website address: http://www.ontario.ca/changetheworld

Help by painting at a community centre, organizing a second-hand clothing shop for charity, or engaging seniors in a game of Wii. It only takes a few hours of you time and you’ll feel great afterwards!

Thanks

Fefe