Tourism Kelowna is once again celebrating National Volunteer Week (NVW), which runs from April 16 to 22. This year's theme, “Volunteering Weaves Us Together,” celebrates the way in which volunteers strengthen the fabric of our communities by sharing their time, talent, and energy.
Our organization is fortunate and proud to have a dedicated group of 45 Community Specialist volunteers and 17 Board of Director volunteers, who generously donate their time and expertise to support our region's robust and well-connected tourism community.
Our Community Specialist volunteers can be found doing many different jobs—greeting visitors as they disembark from their plane at Kelowna International Airport, helping people searching for information at the Kelowna Visitor Centre, or chatting with locals and visitors at various community events. In 2022, our volunteers contributed just over 3,600 volunteer hours to our organization, saving Tourism Kelowna nearly $69K in labour costs.
"I would like to personally thank every one of Tourism Kelowna's volunteers, both on our Community & Visitor Engagement team, as well as our Board of Directors," says Chris Lewis, Director of Destination Development. "In 2022, we were able to bring back services like our mobile visitor centre and expand service to Lake Country, both of which would not have been possible without the support of our Community Specialist volunteers. We appreciate your passion and desire to help fellow residents and visitors travelling within the Central Okanagan, supporting and strengthening the tourism community while you do so."
To celebrate National Volunteer Week with our team, we will be hosting several events throughout the week, including:
- Coffee and Happy Hour Socials at downtown Kelowna venues.
- A walking familiarization tour of the Cultural District.
- A Great Gatsby-themed volunteer reception and dinner to end the week.
If you want to learn more about our volunteer program, please contact me at denae@tourismkelowna.com or (250) 861-1515 ext. 220.
