EventMobi’s 150 Days of Action: Rebecca’s Volunteer Story
On July 1st, 2017, EventMobi kicked off a new company-wide volunteer program called 150 Days of Action. The initiative is our way of celebrating Canada’s 150th milestone anniversary by giving back to the community through volunteering, and to inspire our employees, i.e. Mobiers, to be helpful and empathetic – two key values that at the core of our company and part of Canadian culture.
The EventMobi 150 Days of Action program empowers Mobiers to pursue volunteer experiences they care about, and share reflections on what they learned. The target is to contribute 150 company days to volunteering, and we’re well on our way to achieving this!
Rebecca McDougall is EventMobi’s Manager of Customer Support and shares her experience volunteering for an event raising funds to support women’s health initiatives.
Rebecca’s 150 Days of Action Volunteer Experience
On November 8th, I woke up and got ready like any other day. I had breakfast and began my commute. However, that morning I wasn’t heading to the EventMobi office. Instead, I was heading to the Sheraton Centre Toronto to volunteer at Women for Women’s, an annual charity luncheon focused on advancing the health and potential of women.
For me, I’ve always loved volunteering, but since moving to Toronto it’s been difficult to find opportunities that align with my availability so I knew as soon as this was announced it was something I’d be signing up for!
The Event
Women’s health, volunteering, and events have always been three things I’ve been passionate about – which is why it was easy for me to choose where I wanted to volunteer. Since its launch in 2011, the Women for Women’s Charity Luncheon has been educating its audience about the core issues affecting women’s health, as well as the innovative care and research taking place at Women’s College Hospital and Women’s College Research Institute. The luncheon itself included musical performances, TED-style panel discussions, and a fashion show.
My Role
During my time at EventMobi, I’ve had the privilege of attending a number of different types of events such as conferences, tradeshows, meetings. But this was my first luncheon!
Before the event began, the volunteer coordinator walked us through the run of the show, a tour of the venue, and our responsibilities. I was responsible for registration and donations, as well as clean-up. As a way to solicit donations, the event was selling beautiful silk scarves that were created through a collaboration between renowned designer David Dixon and Women’s College Hospital surgeon and artist Dr. John Semple.
The Impact
The event impacted each individual in attendance and helped the Women’s College Hospital Foundation achieve their event goals in fundraising and brand awareness. On top of that, I wanted to highlight the significance of the opportunity itself to me.
I was incredibly grateful to learn that EventMobi would be providing employees with the opportunity to contribute volunteer time towards initiatives we each care about. I really appreciate that I get to work for a company that embodies its corporate values, and invests in its employees’ passions and interests. The 150 Days of Action program is just one of the ways that this manifests itself here.
I’m also a big believer in non-work related experiences to motivate employees and inspire work-related action. I can attest that I returned to the office the following day eager to share my story, get others to sign up for the program, and to do my best work. Turning on my out-of-office responder the day before, I felt proud of EventMobi, grateful for this opportunity, and excited to lend a hand to a cause and charity close to my heart!
Want to read more about EventMobi’s 150 Days of Action initiative?