Meet a TRC volunteer: Heather

Earlier this year, the Chair of our Board of Directors, Heather Shaw, received an Outstanding Volunteer Award at Credit Valley Conservation’s Friends of the Credit Event. The awards recognize those who have made outstanding contributions in the Credit River Watershed.

We asked Heather to reflect on her time with and service to The Riverwood Conservancy (TRC). Her answers are below.

When did you first start volunteering with The Riverwood Conservancy?

I’ve been a volunteer with The Riverwood Conservancy since 2012. My initial involvement was with Discovery programs, helping people to get to know TRC through community programs. From there my volunteering activities expanded to include programs aimed at helping adults and families better understand the challenges facing our local environment, and how we can all help protect it. Throughout those years, I also took part in one of my favourite volunteer activities – bird feeding!

In 2016, I wanted to do more at TRC and was asked to join our Board of Directors. I then took on the role of Board Chair in 2022. This has been a tremendous experience. Along with about a dozen other board members, we help guide the strategic directions of the organization while ensuring good governance.

What led you to first volunteer with TRC?

What led me to first volunteer with TRC was an interest to be involved with a local, environmentally-focused group, and a curiosity of what lay down that winding road at the end of the Burnhamthorpe Road bridge! I also loved that TRC was happy to match my volunteer activities with the time I had available. This was invaluable when my children were younger and I was working in downtown Toronto.

What has kept me volunteering is the people at TRC: the other volunteers, our wonderful staff, and the support of our community members.

Why does volunteering with TRC matter to you?

Volunteering matters to me because it’s a way to give back to our local community, and frankly, a tangible way to help make a difference. Smaller organizations like ours could not get their much needed work done without volunteers! Volunteers are an important and integral part of a thriving community.

How does volunteering with TRC make you feel? 

It makes me happy! Volunteering makes me feel that even though I’m just one person, my efforts, in tandem with the efforts of many, many other volunteers, can make a difference in making our local community that much better. 

If someone was thinking about volunteering with TRC, what would tell him/her?

I would tell anyone who may be interested in volunteering with TRC to JUST DO IT, like the Nike slogan says lol. There are a variety of opportunities across gardening, education, conservation, and governance, and people can volunteer as little or as much as they care to. TRC volunteers share a wonderful community of fun, socialization, and involvement in an important and well-loved organization.

If you're interested in joining our team of volunteers, you can learn more about our current volunteer opening and how to apply here.