It’s not every day that you get a chance to take part in a humanitarian mission. While opportunities present themselves to students, not many adults manage to find the time to devote a few days to this kind of activity. The Volcano Project was inspired by the idea of giving professionals with a taste for adventure a CHANCE at a unique LIFE EXPERIENCE. In Guatemala, we will tackle challenges that involve a human, physical and personal component, and these achievements will REINFORCE both blossoming and long-standing relationships between co-workers and clients. Better yet, by associating our cause with the Fondation du Dr Julien, we will HELP to improve the situation in locations that may be far from one another, but share similar problems. For me, the desire to TRANSFER my recent experience in humanitarian work from the academic setting to the corporate world is my way of doing a small part to make this world a better place. After all, the FUTURE of this mission lies in the HOPE that the project will have a positive impact on participants and potentially even spawn further projects or offshoots.
Why participate in the Volcano Project? There are a million and one ways to answer that question, but they can all be summed up with one simple explanation: for the cause. I have had the pleasure of visiting several different countries, some of which are developing countries, and every time I return home, I realize how lucky and blessed I am to live in Canada and living in the conditions the majority of us enjoy. This is why I decided to take up Jasmine’s challenge, and what an amazing challenge it is! Not only have we spent the last few months organizing various fundraisers at Gowlings to benefit the Fondation du Dr Julien, but we will soon be taking off for Guatemala to carry out the project’s humanitarian component: renovating a school. To top it all off, we will be heading to the summit of a volcano at a 3,000-metre altitude (and here I was, all proud to have scaled Mount Washington).
I would not say I am trying to change the world, but if we can help or improve living conditions for just one person in any way, then I think we will truly be able to say “mission accomplished!”
I have travelled a lot over the last few years, particularly in Asia and South America. I was moved by the poverty and the difficult conditions in which many children live, especially in India and certain South American countries. I have since developed the desire to get involved in a cause or a humanitarian mission to help these kids. With work and our day-to-day obligations, we often put projects like these on the backburner or do not necessarily take the time to make them happen. For me, this trip is a prime opportunity to achieve my goal. This will be my first experience of the kind and I am so happy to have a chance to be a part of it.
The volunteering aspect of this trip appeals to me enormously. I will get to be close to people and feel like I am helping a bit. I will feel like I am doing my small part by contributing to the global effort to reduce poverty. And it’s a two-way street, because I am sure I will have an amazing, rewarding and highly enlightening experience.
As well, with such an interesting group, the tourism and adventure aspects of the trip will be my chance to discover a beautiful place, take on a more physically demanding challenge and most of all, talk to and share this wonderful experience with the other participants.
This trip to Guatemala is an opportunity for me to travel in a different way, so I am really thrilled to be taking it.
The Volcano Project is an incredible opportunity to get personally involved in helping a community, for the sheer pleasure of travelling with an amazing group of people to benefit the Fondation du Dr Julien—as well as climbing the volcano, if we survive, and working at the school. We are so lucky to live in Canada. It makes me happy to be able to give back a bit. It is also a chance to better get to know co-workers and clients who are also involved.
For me, participating in the Volcano Project fits in with my desire to achieve several personal goals, namely: 1) to work on a project that unites people and gives working professionals and some of their clients a chance to share an experience outside the workplace and off the beaten path; 2) to become actively involved in a fundraiser to make a tangible contribution to the fight against poverty right here in Montréal, through the Fondation du Dr Julien; 3) to join a unique humanitarian mission to renovate a school in Guatemala, which was recently ravaged by Mother Nature; 4) to apply my professional expertise to establish a charitable foundation to facilitate our fundraising efforts; 5) to take on a personal challenge and reach new heights; and 6) to act on my word. Having visited more than 40 countries and almost every continent, participating in the Volcano Project combines my passion for discovering new lands with my desire to enjoy enriching experiences and make a real difference in fighting poverty.
Having worked for over a year as a psychosocial worker at Carrefour jeunesse-emploi L’Assomption, I was thrilled when I found out about the Volcano Project. Not only do I get to go help Guatemalan children and their families, but I get to make a difference right here in my own community and for the Fondation du Dr Julien, which I admire a lot. I am a fairly athletic person as well, since I played basketball for a long time. Basically, everything about the project addresses two values I care deeply about: helping others and staying in shape. I am very happy to be a part of the Volcano team!
I was already excited when Jasmine first spoke to me about this trip to Guatemala, but since the meeting with Dr Julien, I am even more motivated and happy to be participating in this great adventure abroad and getting involved for the well-being of children in difficult situations.
As a social worker, I love working with children and I believe in their potential. I have wanted to participate in humanitarian projects for some time now, so I hope Guatemala will be the first in a long series of opportunities...
I am passionate about travelling and discovering new cultures, landscapes—from mountaintop to seashore—traditions and people.
I have been working as a lawyer for the Fonds de solidarité des travailleurs du Québec for nearly 12 years now, and my co-workers and I are devoted to the Fonds’ mission, which is to create and save jobs by investing primarily in Québec-based businesses.
I met Jasmine as a student at the Fonds. This meeting would have made a strong impression on anyone! I am proud to have been asked and given the opportunity to do my part, however minor it may be, to help those who have been less fortunate. Too often we forget that we can make a difference and how little it takes to put a smile on someone’s face. I have high expectations for this project, but I am sure they will be surpassed and that this is only the beginning for me in terms of community involvement within my social circle, my neighbourhood and Guatemala.
Oh and I almost forgot to mention that one of my passions is volcanoes! But, sadly, one of my weaknesses is a fear of heights!
From the beginning, my reason for joining the Volcano Project has been to help make sure it would come to successful fruition and possibly repeat itself in the future in some form or another. It is different than other initiatives because it veers off the beaten track, and that is what I love about it. It will give me a chance to break the routine of the past few years, do something adventuresome that’s outside of the comfort zone I have developed over time, and get to know my co-workers and business contacts in a different setting.
Our work involves busy schedules, tight deadlines and demanding objectives that are either imposed on us or that we impose on ourselves in order to get ahead. We all have a tendency to forget the simpler things in life and we take a lot for granted. We are privileged and it is good to stop and remind yourself of that fact once in a while.
To me, the Volcano Project means financially supporting the work of the Fondation du Dr Julien and helping children in another country, not only with donations but by doing something concrete in the field. Community involvement is more common among the younger generation and has been integrated into many of our schools. As my daughter often says, it is good to give money, but you also have to give of yourself to see progress. This is what I will try to do.
I hope that my participating this year will be enough to encourage others like me, with seniority, to take part in future missions without questioning whether they belong. I did not take any chances: my picture shows me in front of one of Guatemala’s many volcanoes at the Guatemala Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo in July 2010. I have a feeling the real volcano will be slightly bigger.
The Volcano Project is an extraordinary opportunity for me, along with the Gowlings team, to help Guatemalan children and families in need. It is a unique way to offer material, financial and humanitarian aid and learn from these people, who have been forced to get by with very little and yet manage to do so. This will be a big lesson in teamwork, humility, sharing and giving.
I wanted to join the Volcano Project because this project gives me the chance to help both children from Guatemala and children from Québec through the Fondation du Dr Julien. I consider myself extremely lucky to have grown up in a place where everything I needed to succeed was available to me. This trip will allow me make what small contribution I can to these children who, sadly, have been much less fortunate.
Back to Volcano Project 2010
|
Jasmine Adhami
Marie-France Béland
Lynda Boisvert
Diane Bournival
Martine Guimond
Simon Labrecque
Audrey Latendresse
Julie Latour
Sonia Lévêque
Luc Lissoir
Anne-Marie Lussier
Marie-Chantal Ouellette
