Robert Winfield, Events Edmonton President, Sharon Mills, UofA Faculty of Law Student Services receptionist, & Marion Clark, Events Edmonton Manager of Volunteers.
Faculty of Law staff member Sharon Mills awarded Volunteer of the Year for 2012
The U of A Faculty of Law's Student Services receptionist, Sharon Mills, was recently awarded the inaugural Gordon Oldnall Volunteer of the Year Award by Events Edmonton. The award is in recognition of the special commitment and dedication of the volunteer, and to celebrate the volunteer's contribution to Events Edmonton, the events at which they volunteer, and most of all to the city's quality of life. Sharon received a plaque at the Events Edmonton Volunteer Appreciation dinner that was held at the Palace Banquet Hall on September 21, 2012.
Events Edmonton was originally known as the Klondike Day Association and produced the Klondike Day Celebrations in downtown Edmonton. Once Klondike Days became Capital X, the association was renamed to Events Edmonton. As producers of A Taste of Edmonton and Metropolis International Winter Festival, Events Edmonton has been a major part of the city's popular festival line-up, providing Edmontonians with festivities that demonstrate the spirit and energy of the city.
"I felt absolutely overwhelmed and honoured," said Sharon. "I had worked with Event Edmonton's long-time volunteer Gordon Oldnall during Metropolis Winter Festival, and knew how much he was valued by the organization. To be presented with the inaugural volunteer award given in his memory just blew me away. There were so many others that had contributed so much, in so many ways, to make these events flow smoothly that it just took me by complete surprise to be singled out in this way."
Just over a year ago, Sharon received a phone call at the Faculty of Law's Student Services office from Marion Clark, the Manager of Volunteers for Events Edmonton. Marion was new to Events Edmonton herself, and was looking for students who would be interested in volunteering with Metropolis, the new event that the organization was running every weekend in 2012, from New Year's Eve until the Family Day weekend in February. Sharon was intrigued and let Marion know that she would be interested in helping out, and things, as Sharon describes it, just kind of snowballed from there.
Volunteering for Events Edmonton was not Sharon Mills' first foray into the world of volunteering at events in our city. For the past thirty years, Sharon has been involved behind the scenes in creating events and helping them run smoothly. It began with International Student Ministries, where she planned events to assist international students adjust to life in Canada. Later, she worked at Rexall Place, where she truly fell in love with working events. Sharon gained an appreciation for all of the planning that goes on behind the scenes to make big events run smoothly. She felt that she was fortunate in that she was able to work in many different areas and gain a more complete picture of an entire event as opposed to just one area. Sharon loved the adrenalin rush of encountering the unexpected problems that arise no matter how careful the event planning, and of having to think quickly on her feet to ensure things continued to run so smoothly that guests were totally unaware of any problem.
The hours Sharon worked at Rexall didn't leave time for volunteering for other events, but after she left Rexall, she took several event management courses online, and through NAIT. One of the course requirements was volunteer service at a number of events. Although Sharon had more than completed her required hours with other organizations, she was intrigued when Marion Clark from Events Edmonton phoned her looking for volunteers. The Metropolis Winter Festival was a completely new endeavour, and Sharon was aware of how much help would be required in many different areas. But being someone who enjoys variety, Sharon felt up to the task, capable of jumping in where needed and lending a hand, and so she offered her services.
Sharon has volunteered for Events Edmonton for the past year, and helped with both of the big events they staged since she started - Metropolis, and Taste of Edmonton. One of the things that Sharon loved most about volunteering with Events Edmonton was that Marion was willing to let her work in many different positions, which provided her a better overview of how the events worked, which in turn helped to make more concrete the things that she had learnt in the classroom. "Sharon has been volunteering with us for just under a year, and we count ourselves extremely lucky to have her and hope she will be with us for many more years," said Events Edmonton's Marion Clark. "It is not often that one finds a volunteer with that much dedication and commitment."
Sharon appreciated that Events Edmonton worked at making their volunteers feel valued by spending quality time talking one-on-one with each of the volunteers and getting to know them as people. They sought out and respected the input of volunteers such as Sharon, making her feel truly part of something big. "I think one of the best things, about volunteering, is being able to choose to be a part of something much bigger than myself - something which impacts and brings enjoyment to the lives of literally hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children in the Edmonton area," Sharon explained. "It brings a new appreciation of what individuals can do when they pool their time, talents, and resources together. I met wonderful people who were like-minded. Plus, I find that the rush of the actual events is just plain fun!!"
Sharon has found that her volunteer experiences have been infinitely helpful in assisting in planning and producing the many events which take place in the U of A Faculty of Law. Whether it be the Faculty's student orientation in September, the OCI's in October, the mentor lunches for students and professors, or the many seminars put on throughout the year by Pat Neil in Career Services, the skills Sharon has learnt through volunteering have transferred directly to her role in the Student Services office at the Faculty of Law as she orders lunches, arranges parking, prepares registration forms, monitors attendance, designs brochures, arranges room bookings, and answers the myriad number of questions from attendees. All of this done with a smile and a genuine desire to help people.