Over the past few months, Volunteer Wave has been spending plenty of time in the kitchen at The Salvation Army’s Belkin House in downtown Vancouver. Since our last update, our volunteers have joined Belkin House on several occasions, most often helping prepare and serve meals to residents. Our recent volunteer shifts included: May 10 May 24 June 13 June 28 July 12 July 26 July 27 For our volunteers, these shifts have become a meaningful way to lend a hand, meet people, and contribute to a welcoming environment at Belkin House. More Than a Meal Belkin House is part of The Salvation Army’s Belkin Communities of Hope and provides a range of services for people experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness. Located in downtown Vancouver, Belkin House provides emergency shelter, meals, and other supports, as well as transitional housing programs designed to help residents work toward greater stability and independence. At its heart, Belkin House aims to be a safe place where people can find support, community, and a path forward. That makes our time in the kitchen about more than simply serving food. A meal can be an opportunity to connect, share a conversation, and help create a welcoming space for the people who call Belkin House home. Showing Up Together One of the things we love most about our partnership with Belkin House is the consistency. Our Volunteer Wave members continue to come back, ready to help wherever they are needed. Whether we’re preparing food, keeping the kitchen running, or serving meals to residents, there is always something to do. And because we return regularly, our volunteers get to see the impact of simply showing up and being part of the community. We’re incredibly grateful to the Belkin House team for welcoming Volunteer Wave into their community and for giving our volunteers the opportunity to be part of their work. And, of course, a huge thank you to every Volunteer Wave member who has joined us in the kitchen. We’re looking forward to many more meals, conversations, and community connections together. Want to join us for a future Volunteer Wave shift at Belkin House? Keep an eye on our upcoming opportunities and come make a wave with us!

On January 6th, Captain Scott Legacy Society had our first-ever Volunteer Ambassadors meet up! We collaborated with the Chinese Community Policing Centre for a neighbourhood clean up and cleaned up Andy Livingstone Park and the nearby skatepark in Chinatown. Clean up stats total clean up time: 1.25 hours 14 volunteers (2 children, 11 adults, 1 youth, and 1 dog!) Collected 7.5 small Neighbourhood Clean Up bags Collected plastic pieces, food wrappers, papers, bottle caps, beverage cans, plastic bottles, socks, plastic bags, coffee cups and lids, and cigarette butts *tracked by our Volunteer Leaders scavenger hunt! It was a wonderful day for a clean up. Great job, everyone! See you next time!

Since our last food bank update, Volunteer Wave has been making regular visits to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, and our volunteers have loved every one of them. From sorting fresh produce to helping distribute food to community members, these volunteer shifts give our members a hands-on way to support food security across Greater Vancouver. We’re grateful to keep showing up, working alongside the Greater Vancouver Food Bank team, and doing our part to help make a difference. Sorting Produce and Sharing Fresh Food One of the ways our volunteers have supported the Food Bank this year is through produce sorting. These shifts involve helping organize and sort fresh food so it can make its way to people and families who need it. Our Volunteer Wave members have taken part in produce sorting on: March 4 April 23 May 19 July 22 August 18 There’s something especially rewarding about working together on a task where you can see the impact right in front of you. A few hours of sorting and organizing can help make sure good, nutritious food gets where it needs to go. Helping with Food Distribution Our volunteers have also joined the Food Bank’s food distribution shifts, helping with the day-to-day work that gets food into the hands of community members. Volunteer Wave members have volunteered at food distribution on: March 21 April 11 May 15 June 6 July 11 August 8 The Greater Vancouver Food Bank works to provide healthy food to people experiencing food insecurity throughout Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, and the North Shore. In addition to its direct food distribution, the organization supports more than 160 community and provincial agencies that provide food programs in their own communities. A Partnership We’re Happy to Keep Growing We’re so grateful to everyone who has joined us for these shifts. Whether you’ve come along once or have made the Food Bank a regular part of your volunteering routine, every helping hand matters. For Volunteer Wave, volunteering is about more than completing a shift. It’s about showing up for our community, meeting new people, and finding meaningful ways to help. Our visits to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank have been a great example of that. We’re looking forward to continuing to support the Food Bank and getting more of our Volunteer Wave community involved along the way. Want to join us at our next Food Bank volunteer shift? Keep an eye on our upcoming opportunities and come make a wave with us!

Since Captain Scott Legacy Society’s inception in 2021, we’ve been working toward building “a future where people of all ages and abilities are inspired to connect within their communities, bound by a shared willingness to give and serve with kindness.” These are the words left behind by our late co-founder, Greg Helem—words we carry with us in everything we do. While we miss him dearly, we know he would be proud of how far this community has come. While our primary focus has always been on creating interactive volunteer programming that is flexible, inclusive, and accessible to all, an equally important part of our work is celebrating volunteer spirit, culture, and identity. On December 18, 2025, we had the opportunity to do just that. For one evening, we shifted our focus from the broader community to honour a very special group within it: eight of our most committed, dedicated, and inspiring volunteers from the Volunteer Wave community. These are the individuals who step in when we’re short on volunteers, show up across a wide range of causes, and take initiative to lead, support, and uplift others. They are the people we can always count on. They give generously without ever expecting anything in return. They are the embodiment of the future we are working toward, already in action today. They are our catalysts for change. Our community builders. Our sparks of light. And quite simply, Captain Scott would not be what it is without them. Our annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner is one of the few invite-only events we host each year, bringing together our Top 8 volunteers alongside staff and their loved ones for an evening of recognition and connection. Congratulations to our 2025 Top 8 Volunteers: Angel Li – Our very first volunteer, and the creative mind behind the Captain Scott logo Amalia Munteneau – Joined us at the 2024 Grand Volunteer Celebration and never looked back Harpreet Sareen – A newer volunteer who dove in wholeheartedly and quickly became a leader Joanne (Jo Jo) Dong – Former Community Coordinator who continues to show up and support whenever needed Janaki Patel – Always smiling, always helping, and always bringing creativity to the team Anna Gergus – The one who reliably steps in and saves the day, often at the last minute Yujin Cha – Quiet, observant, and an incredibly steady and valuable presence Micheal Chea – Our unofficial biggest champion, constantly spreading the word and dreaming big for our future Over a delicious family-style Chinese dinner, guests connected through table trivia, heartfelt conversations, laughter, hugs, and plenty of shared stories. The evening felt like it passed in an instant, so much so that we had to gently usher people out as the restaurant closed. It was a night filled with appreciation, visibility, and a deep sense of belonging that could be felt in every corner of the room. To all of our volunteers: thank you. Because of you, the Volunteer Wave program continues to grow and create meaningful impact across our communities. Your time, energy, and care help bring positive change to life, not only through our events, but also through the many Community Partners we are proud to support. Every action you take, big or small, matters more than you know. And as we look ahead, we can’t help but wonder: Who will be part of the Top 8 in 2026? Will it be you?

On June 27th, 2026, Captain Scott Legacy Society's Corporate Wave program partnered with Creation Technologies, an electronics manufacturing services provider, for a volunteer day dedicated to woodland restoration in Burnaby's Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood. To lead the effort, Corporate Wave called on our Community Partner, Wildscaping Our Neighbourhood Society (WONS), whose founder Prentice Lee brought expertise, tools, and enthusiasm to the day. Prentice opened with an engaging introduction on the importance of protecting and promoting biodiversity within local ecosystems, before dividing volunteers into teams named after the invasive species they would be tackling: the Buttercup Brigade, the Ivy Eliminators, the Blackberry Battalion, and the Bamboo Crew. It was a small touch that set a collaborative, energetic tone for the hours of hands-on work ahead. Volunteers arrived prepared and ready to give it their all, some bringing their own work gloves, others arriving with large coffees in hand. Throughout the two hours, Prentice wove in fascinating facts about the neighbourhood and its natural history, keeping the team informed and engaged even as they dug, snipped, and hauled away invasive species. One member of the Bamboo Crew laughed that he wouldn't have purchased a new bamboo plant for the office had he known how readily it grows in the wild. Members of the Buttercup Brigade, meanwhile, joked that they had not yet gotten around to removing buttercups from their own yards at home. Among the more meaningful moments of the day, one volunteer reflected that the hard work felt worthwhile, because perhaps one day his grandchildren might play in a park where he had cleared English Ivy to make room for native plants. While the work in the area can’t possibly be finished in just one day, this volunteer’s reflection shows just how much environmental stewardship matters, not only for today's community, but for the generations that follow. Employees from across Creation Technologies' departments set aside their work in high-reliability electronics manufacturing to spend a sunny Saturday giving back to the land. Twelve volunteers showed up with joy, passion, and a willingness to take on whatever nature had in store, without a single complaint. On behalf of Captain Scott Legacy Society's Corporate Wave program and Wildscaping Our Neighbourhood Society, thank you to the team at Creation Technologies. Your commitment to community, your verve for the work, and your spirit on the day made a genuine and lasting difference!

On June 20, 2025, the Volunteer Wave community came together at Watari Kitchen for a special day of cooking, connection, and giving back. With 10 volunteers joining us, we stepped into the kitchen to prepare a community meal for The Dugout, a space that supports people in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. This visit was a little different from our usual kitchen shifts. With summer officially here, we wanted to try something new and move away from our usual soups. After all, while soup is comforting, a warm summer day calls for something a little different. So we took on the challenge of creating a pork Italian Asian fusion stir fry and potato salad with caramelized onions. Leading the team was Chef Adam from our Volunteer Wave community, who guided everyone through the process and helped turn a group of volunteers into a well-organized kitchen crew. From prepping ingredients to working through each step of the recipes, everyone played an important role in bringing the meal together. It was a big undertaking. There were plenty of vegetables to chop, ingredients to prepare, and details to get right. But that is part of what makes these kitchen experiences so meaningful. Every task, no matter how small, contributes to something bigger. By the end of the day, we had created a meal made with care that would be shared with members of the community. Once everything was prepared and the kitchen was cleaned up, the meals were ready to be delivered to The Dugout. Seeing the finished dishes come together made all the effort worth it. What started as a room full of volunteers learning and working together became a meal that could bring comfort and nourishment to others. A huge thank you to Watari Kitchen for welcoming us into your space, to Chef Adam from our Volunteer Wave team for leading the team, and to every volunteer who showed up ready to roll up their sleeves and help. These moments remind us that volunteering is not just about what we create, but also about the connections we build along the way. We can’t wait to be back in the kitchen again soon.

On June 13, 2026, the Volunteer Wave community met up at Whole Way House's Veterans Manor once again for a Saturday Bingo visit. As always, it felt like coming home. One of the things that makes this volunteer opportunity so special is the welcome our volunteers receive the moment they arrive. Familiar faces light up, regular volunteers are greeted by name, and residents are already asking whether our team will be leading Bingo that day. In fact, our volunteers actually seem to bring down more and more residents to a regular weekly game of Bingo. The relationships that Volunteer Wave has built with the residents over time are a reminder that what keeps people coming back, whether as a player or as a volunteer, is authentic human connection. This visit had plenty of prizes to go around, so no one left empty-handed. From cans of tuna and tomato sauce to bags of cookies and instant noodles, the prizes were an additional highlight to the conversations. With Vancouver in the middle of a heat wave, the team also put their energy to good use after Bingo wrapped up, setting up the Cooling Centre in Veterans Manor's common area. Volunteers got creative with décor placement, experimenting with different arrangements and having a little fun with the space. It was a fitting way to welcome the summer season, making sure residents had a comfortable, inviting place to cool down in the days ahead. Saturday Bingo and Coffee and Chat shifts are now available on our Bloomerang platform. If you are interested in hanging out with some amazing senior residents as part of Volunteer Wave, reserve your shift now!

On the last day of May, Captain Scott Legacy Society had the opportunity to cook for The Dugout in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. We gathered a team of 8 volunteers and got to work preparing a meal for members of the community. Our partnership with The Dugout is something we truly value, and we are always grateful for opportunities to support their important and meaningful work. Working together, our volunteers shared a common goal: to prepare a meal that was both nutritious and enjoyable. We wanted to offer options for people who might be craving either something hearty or something lighter, so we created a menu featuring chicken sandwiches and a homemade beef, vegetable, and tomato soup that we proudly called “Grandma’s Garden Beef Soup.” We were especially grateful for the generous donation from Watari Kitchen, which provided us with access to all the ingredients we needed for the process. For the sandwiches, we prepared fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, baked and shredded chicken, and carefully assembled each sandwich by hand. In total, our team prepared 33 chicken sandwiches along with two full buckets of soup. This meal was truly a team effort. Emily and Nick were the creative minds behind the chicken sandwiches, helping choose the ingredients and create a fresh menu. Emily’s growing passion for baking and food preparation brought an extra touch of creativity to the project, and we were grateful to have both of them leading the sandwich-making process. We were also excited to welcome Ali for his first volunteer shift. He jumped right in, helping cut all of the beef for the soup and carrying the heavy buckets of soup for transportation to The Dugout. Victoria and Angel took on the important task of washing and chopping vegetables, helping keep the kitchen running smoothly and efficiently. Meanwhile, Chloe led the soup preparation, carefully bringing together the ingredients and seasonings to create a warm and comforting home cooked meal. Everyone contributed their time, energy, and ideas, making the experience both productive and enjoyable for the entire team. One of the most rewarding parts of the experience was working together as a team. From planning the menu to preparing the food, everyone contributed their ideas, energy, and time. It was inspiring to see a group of volunteers come together with the shared belief that a single meal can make a meaningful difference in someone’s day. We always look forward to returning to The Dugout to spread kindness, joy, and good food made with care. Experiences like this remind us that community is built through action, and even small acts of service can go a really long way. We are incredibly grateful to be part of a community that supports one another, and we hope to keep contributing in ways that help make it better and stronger every day.

On May 30th, the Volunteer Wave community joined forces with two Community Partners, Web of Life and Wildscaping Our Neighbourhood Society (WONS), for a joint forest clean-up and invasive species removal event along the Trans-Canada Trail in the Burnaby Heights neighbourhood. Twenty-five volunteers showed up ready to work, ranging from high school students to those in their 70s, and representing a wonderfully eclectic mix of backgrounds including recycling operators, nurses, musicians, and even a hopeful political candidate. Each person chose the activity that called to them, and the group split into two teams to tackle the day from two different angles. The clean-up team, led by Carl from Web of Life, headed to specific spots along the Trans-Canada Trail where it connects with North Gilmore Avenue. Among the more memorable finds were a heavy tub-like vessel, an old empty safe, and a stainless steel filing cabinet, alongside the more commonly encountered illegally dumped furniture, carpets, and tires. Volunteers worked together to pick, lift, pull, and drag everything out to a spot accessible for a City of Burnaby pickup. The majority of the project in this area has now been completed. The team will likely return in a few months to check that the cleaned areas have remained clear. Meanwhile, the invasive species removal team, led by Prentice, the founder and retiree behind WONS, got to work on three of the most persistent offenders in the area: Himalayan Blackberry, English Ivy, and Buttercups. WONS was born out of Prentice's dedication to his own neighbourhood, and the organization's mission is to protect and promote biodiversity for the health of the natural environment. True to that mission, Prentice kept the work both purposeful and joyful, dividing volunteers into spirited sub-groups with names like the Blackberry Battalion and the Buttercup Brigade. The nicknames sparked laughter and friendly banter throughout the afternoon. Armed with clippers, shears, shovels, and gloved hands, volunteers snipped, pulled, and hauled invasive growth away from the trail. A select few focused on planting native species and trail-making to protect the spaces being restored. There is something quietly powerful about stepping back after two hours of work to see the native plants against the dark soil beneath again; a sight that we could not see when it blended in with all the other greenery from the invasive species. It is a simple but immediate reminder that restoration is possible; it just takes time, patience, and people who care. And patience will be needed! Invasive species removal along the Trans-Canada Trail and the surrounding parks could take up to 20 years to complete. That's not a discouraging number; it's a call to keep showing up. Native woodlands and the biodiversity they support are worth protecting for the communities, wildlife, and future generations who depend on them. The Volunteer Wave community is proud to be part of this long-term mission alongside Prentice and the team at WONS, and we look forward to returning every month to continue the work! Thank you to everyone who came out and gave their time and energy to this project. Every pull, every snip, and every bag of garbage hauled out of the forest makes a difference. We hope to see you at the next one!

Some volunteer days are simply unforgettable. May 23rd's Saturday Bingo at Whole Way House's Veterans' Manor was one of them. What started as a routine afternoon quickly became something much more– for our Volunteer Wave community, the staff at Veterans' Manor, and the residents themselves. With a team of seven volunteers, more than half of them brand new, there was already excitement in the air before the game even began. By the time everyone had settled in, over 25 residents had made their way down to the activity area for Bingo, coffee, and snacks, with three more chatting with volunteers outside on the patio. On a typical Saturday, a good turnout is around 15 residents. Twenty-five was a very welcome surprise. Volunteers were kept busy for the full two hours: sanitizing common areas, setting up tables, preparing coffee and snacks, serving refreshments, helping residents keep track of their Bingo cards, and taking turns calling out numbers throughout the game. But the real highlights of the day came from the moments that unfolded between the numbers being called. Rebekah was helping a resident follow along with his Bingo sheet– until the conversation became far more interesting than the game. The resident took the lead, sharing stories from his life and asking Rebekah about her home country. She tried a few times to point out the numbers being called, until he gently gestured for her to let it go. They set the card aside, leaned in closer, and just talked, with Bingo sounds drifting in the background. Rebekah said afterward that she almost wished there hadn't been a game at all. The conversation was just that good. Daniela had always wanted to try being a Bingo caller, and this was her chance to check it off the bucket list. She took to it naturally, and as luck would have it, many residents won during her rounds. By the end, she joked that she had figured out how to use mind control to call the numbers she wanted. Ivan, newly arrived in Vancouver and exploring his new city through volunteering, learned to play Bingo that day and happily helped guide residents with their cards. Near the end of the event, one Bingo winner received a set of fruit cups as a prize, but decided it was too sweet for him. He chose to gift them to Ivan instead. Ivan was so moved by the gesture that he gave the resident a big, warm hug. For someone who had been in Vancouver for only a few months, it was a genuinely kind Canadian welcome. The energy spilled outside too. On the back deck, volunteers joined residents who had gathered with snacks and an impressive Bluetooth speaker. Among them was a resident who casually mentioned, and then proved via screenshots, that he was a background actor with credits on multiple Netflix productions. Volunteers joked around and requested autographs from him. All of this happened to the soundtrack of Dwight Yoakam's Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose and Tommy James & The Shondells' Draggin' the Line. What was happening outside was every bit as energizing as what was happening inside. The game ran 15 minutes over time…because no one wanted it to end. Volunteers continued getting to know each other long after the activity wrapped up, riding the energy of an afternoon that genuinely delivered on every level. We are so excited for the summer season ahead, with both Saturday Bingo and weekday Coffee and Conversation events on the calendar at Veterans' Manor. Find the opportunity on Bloomerang and come spend some time with the incredible community at Whole Way House's Veterans' Manor– you won't regret it!

We're incredibly proud of Marcela, Jan, and our Program Coordinator, Mitchie, for taking on the BMO Vancouver Marathon this year in support of one of our amazing charity partners. Watching them cross the finish line was inspiring, but what made the day even more special was seeing so many members of the Volunteer Wave community come out to cheer them on. It quickly turned into an impromptu volunteer social, bringing everyone together to celebrate, reconnect, and support one another. A huge thank you to Employ to Empower for providing these wonderful running opportunities throughout the year. We're grateful to be part of a community that continues to show up, give back, and encourage one another in so many different ways. Congratulations again to Marcela, Jan, and Mitchie on an incredible achievement—we can't wait for the next one!

On May 2nd, 2026, our Volunteer Wave community partnered with Web of Life, an environmental stewardship non-profit serving the Lower Mainland, for a trail and forest clean-up in Stanley Park, one of Vancouver's most beloved oceanfront parks. Our efforts ran alongside a beach and shoreline clean-up at English Bay hosted by Keep the Earth Fresh, making it a fantastic day for the environment all around. Stanley Park was getting some well-deserved love from every direction. This particular clean-up had a different feel from our usual ones. Rather than converging on a single site, volunteers branched off into small groups and explored different trails at their own pace. It was part clean-up, part adventure. The ebb and flow of the day meant some volunteers enjoyed a peaceful park walk while picking up bits of litter along the way, while others paused longer at concentrated pockets of garbage they uncovered tucked along the trails. One of the most memorable finds came from a volunteer who discovered a human-made hole dug against a fallen tree trunk with a partially hollowed-out cavity. It was filled with chip bags, plastic, aluminum cans, and other garbage. He noted that it seemed as though whoever had been living in that area had been trying to keep their space tidy by tucking garbage into one spot. The hole was dug so deep that he nearly had to stick his whole arm in to retrieve everything from the bottom. Without a doubt, it was the most interesting find of the day. Despite the more relaxed pace, our group of 16 volunteers still made a real impact. We filled six large demolition bags of park litter, plus a suitcase, a large carpet, two folding chairs, and a plank of lumber that couldn't fit into the bags. The quieter stretches of the clean-up also created wonderful opportunities for learning. Carl, the founder of Web of Life, and an avid nature explorer, guided the group to one of Canada's largest old-growth trees and shared the significance of various plants, flowers, and even birds along the trails. These little teaching moments that Carl adds to our clean ups is what makes partnering with Web of Life so special; you always leave knowing a little more about the land you're taking care of. Overall, this was one of our more easygoing clean-ups, and a welcome change of pace for the many volunteers who join us regularly. More clean-ups are on the way this summer in Burnaby, Richmond, and Coquitlam. Make sure to check out Bloomerang to find out where we're headed next with Web of Life!