Workopolis Launches National Volunteer Recruitment Drive for Vancouver 2010 Winter Games

Today, exactly two years before the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, Workopolis is giving 25,000 Canadians the chance to be part of a volunteer experience of a lifetime. The Call for Volunteers, the official volunteer recruitment drive for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is officially online at www.volunteer.workopolis.com and www.vancouver2010.com.

As the Official Supplier of Online Recruitment for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), Workopolis is helping VANOC recruit 25,000 qualified volunteers to represent Canada at the 2010 Winter Games. As a complex and multi-faceted organization, VANOC requires a volunteer team with a variety of backgrounds and experiences to bring the Games together and reflect the diversity of Canada, its people and their capabilities. Job areas run the full range of the alphabet, from accommodation and anti-doping, all the way through to venue management and workforce.

ìWorkopolis is proud to be the gateway to all of the volunteer positions for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games,î said Patrick Sullivan, President of Workopolis. ìAlthough the Games will be held in Vancouver and Whistler, they belong to all Canadians. Thatís why Workopolis is hitting the streets today to engage with Canadians from coast to coast and let them know about all of the volunteer positions available.î

Workopolis has dispatched street teams in: Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Whistler, Vancouver and Squamish to share the excitement of the Games as well as provide details about the volunteer positions available at the 2010 Winter Games.

ìIn 24 short months the Olympic flame will arrive in Vancouver and today marks one of the most important milestones on the same road to 2010,î said John Furlong, Vancouver 2010 Chief Executive Officer. ìNext to athletes, volunteers are perhaps the most important participants in the 2010 Winter Games. Volunteers will be the welcoming face to our guests, set lasting impressions and will play the largest role in actually staging the Games. It will be a proud, unforgettable experience

Workopolis and VANOC have teamed up with Olympic medallists Beckie Scott, Russ Howard and Marc Gagnon to talk about the important role volunteers play from an athleteís perspective.

ìNot only do volunteers play a critical role in ensuring a smooth run of the show but they also act as unofficial cheerleaders to help keep athletes motivated,î said Beckie Scott, cross-country skier and two-time Olympic medallist. ìI hope Canadians everywhere will step forward for a chance to be part of Canadaís Games so that all of our athletes will have the chance to experience the home-court advantage in its truest sense.î

ìSeeing the athletes in the Village environment was an eye-opening opportunity,î added Margot Jackson, volunteer at the Olympic Village in Bardonecchia for the Torino 2006 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. ìI learned first hand from volunteering in Torino that the Olympic Games are truly special. Playing a part as a volunteer is an uplifting and unique opportunity that I will never forget.î

Volunteering is also a great way to strengthen career skills. Although a recent study by Workopolis shows that over half (51 per cent) of respondents indicated they havenít recently volunteered any of their time to a charitable organization, Workopolis encourages everyone to consider the benefits of gaining career and life skills from being involved in a project like the Games.

ìVolunteering at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games is a great career move and an opportunity to participate in an event that is synonymous with passion, dedication and inspiration,î added Sullivan. ìWeíre showing Canadians how they can get ahead in their careers through volunteer experiences at the 2010 Games ñ an experience that will undoubtedly showcase quality career characteristics like leadership, time management and altruism. Weíve got tips on our site for how Canadians can start this discussion with their employers as well as a readiness quiz.î

The Call for Volunteers is open to anyone who will be over the age of 19 on September 1, 2008. Interested candidates can visit www.volunteer.workopolis.com or www.vancouver2010.com to learn more about how they can become a volunteer at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games.