10 Years of CANAVUA

Today, CANAVUA turns 10 years old!

It's hard to believe how quickly time has flown since we incorporated as a non-profit society (on April 24, 2010). It's even more breathtaking to consider how much we've accomplished over these past 10 years!

Since the very beginning, we've always had a diverse and dedicated team of volunteers.

A team of CANAVUA's volunteers wearing their yellow t-shirts.

We've always worked hard to fulfill our mandate of promoting and enhancing volunteering in Alberta's francophone community.

The founder and Executive Director of CANAVUA, Dicky Dikamba, with our President, René Vincent Tshibula.

Today, CANAVUA offers more than 10 different programs and services to our more than 950 volunteers and 1500 clients.

In 2011, we partnered with Edmonton's Food Bank to create the first and only francophone food bank in Edmonton.

Two of our volunteers, Mputu and Guelord, volunteering at the food bank.

We also partnered with several local restaurants to launch our Meals by Bus service to distribute food to Edmonton's homeless population and persons with limited mobility.

CANAVUA's Meals by Bus van.

That same year, we began a collaboration with the Community Service Learning program at the University of Alberta to get university students involved in volunteering. This program continues to be an overwhelming success today!

Every July, hundreds of CANAVUA's volunteers don their yellow t-shirts and head to Beaumont for the Tour de l'Alberta cycling race.

Some of CANAVUA's volunteers at the Tour de l'Alberta cycling race.

CANAVUA has linked generations of volunteers in the spirit of solidarity through our New Horizons for Seniors program.

Volunteers in CANAVUA's New Horizons for Seniors program.

In 2014, CANAVUA launched its Health Navigator service to provide transportation, accompaniment and French-English interpretation at medical appointments. This service is essential for ensuring bilingual access to medical services in both of Canada's official languages in Alberta. We trained a team of volunteers at Bow Valley College to provide the highest quality of real-time translation services between French-speaking patients and English-speaking doctors.

Diplomas from the "Medical Terminology I" program at Bow Valley College, in Calgary, received by CANAVUA's Health Navigator volunteers.

Since 2014, CANAVUA has offered a monthly driver training class for new drivers seeking to get their learner's licences in French. We train more than 100 students a year.

CANAVUA's driver training class is taught by Abraham Tsegaye of Global Driving School, who is interpreted by Renaud Lessard for the benefit of our French-speaking students.

In 2015, we expanded our reach in Alberta's francophone community by opening an office in Calgary.

CANAVUA Calgary's logo.

Since 2018, we've sent young volunteers aged 15-30 to Quebec each summer to participate in volunteer work camps through a partnership with Chantiers jeunesse.

One of our volunteers, Guelord, traveled to Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec, in the summer of 2018 to help maintain the Jardin des Sources, a former quarry turned public park located next to a retirement home.

Of course, we mustn't forget our Protocol Crew! Through this core program, CANAVUA train, recruits and dispatches volunteers throughout the community to help our partner organizations in need of volunteers. All year long, CANAVUA's volunteers can be seen helping at the many festivals and other events Edmonton has to offer.

Volunteers in CANAVUA's Protocol Crew.

Over the past 10 years, CANAVUA has served as an advocate for the voluntary movement, forming invaluable relationships with municipal, provincial and federal governments.

CANAVUA's Executive Director, Dicky Dikamba, with the Premier of Alberta, the Hon. Jason Kenney.

We also recognize the hard work of our fantastic volunteers every April during National Volunteer Week:

One of our volunteers, Serge, receives a certificate of recognition for his voluntary service from the Hon. Marlin Schmidt, MLA for Edmonton-Gold Bar.

CANAVUA is heavily involved in promoting volunteering among youths and students in order to train the next generation of volunteers.

The Executive Director of CANAVUA, Dicky Dikamba, presenting a workshop to elementary students on volunteering.

CANAVUA has developed extensive expertise relating to newcomer integration through volunteering. By offering volunteering opportunities, as well as other programs and services, to newcomers to Canada, CANAVUA assists with their complete integration into Canadian society. In particular, volunteering helps newcomers to navigate the labour market, find a job, learn English and develop professional and social networks.

CANAVUA helps newcomers integrate into Canadian society through volunteering and other programs and services.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the help of our many partners and volunteers!

Some of CANAVUA's many partners and donors.

Additionally, we are immensely grateful to our Board of Directors. Without their vision, dedication, hard work and exemplary service, CANAVUA could never have grown to be the resounding success it is today. We wish to name and thank the members of our board of directors individually:

René Vincent Tshibula

President

Elie Tsasa

Treasurer

Christian Kabongo

Board Member

Diane Bouchard

Board Member

And, last but not least, we must thank - and applaud - the people who are at the heart of everything we do - those who have made CANAVUA shine throughout the community for all these years: our cherished volunteers. Please join us in thanking them. We are so proud of everything we've done together over the past 10 years, and are excited to see where the next 10 shall lead us.

Time to volunteer!