It’s no secret that our volunteers are amazing! Time after time, they make incredible efforts to get informed and take action to advocate for a world without extreme poverty. Our Results Canada 2020 Volunteer Awards puts the spotlight on a few of our volunteers, but we have so much appreciation for the contributions of every single one.
This month, we’re featuring the winner of our best volunteer spirit award: Roshelle Filart.
This volunteer’s passion shines bright. They never fail to light up a room with their positive attitude, while encouraging others, and continue to represent Results as an advocate on a regular basis.
There is no doubt in our minds at Results that Roshelle deserves this award. She’s a steadfast advocate that we can always rely on.
“It's nice to win an award and feel valued by my peers but really the true rewards of being a Results volunteer are being able to engage with and alongside some inspiring, dedicated and indefatigable citizen advocates to create a more equitable world in which everyone is treated with respect and dignity.”
Roshelle has been a volunteer since 2009 and was a co-leader of the Toronto group until 2018. Here’s why she chooses to continue year after year:
“Time is one of the most precious commodities that we have in this modern, technologically driven world. I choose to give my time to volunteer with Results because the return on investment of a relatively small amount of time spent learning about global poverty issues, writing letters and meeting with decision-makers can be huge in terms of collective global change.”
But Roshelle wasn’t sure about doing advocacy when she first joined her Results group. She went to her first Education and Action meeting through a chance encounter with Elizabeth Dove, who was Results Canada's Public Engagement Officer at the time. She learned more about advocacy and the actions she could take to make a difference but, understandably, it was hard to put herself out there for the first time. To a new volunteer having the same hesitation, Roshelle offers wise words of advice:
“If not now, when? I'm stealing and paraphrasing from a sports broadcaster who said, everyday we're writing our eulogy because none of us knows how much time we have and everyday we have a chance to act and leave a legacy. No one will remember you if you stand on the sidelines but if you have a chance to make a difference and correct the injustice of global poverty with even the smallest action, why wouldn't you take it?”
At the 2020 Results Canada National Conference, she co-hosted the workshop “Putting principles of power and privilege into practice: A workshop for advocates”. She discussed her experience recognizing her privilege and redefining her understanding of international development aid. The workshop was a stunning success, which helped participants examine their positions more critically to enhance their advocacy. On behalf of all Results staff and volunteers, we thank you for your impactful contributions!
Congratulations Roshelle for winning the best volunteer spirit award. Thank you for your continued advocacy efforts in support of global health and education!
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