Why do I volunteer at CMHA WW? By A. Woolridge #NVW2019

My name is Alexis Woolridge and I have been volunteering with Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington since 2016. It has been an amazing 2 years with the organization. I absolutely love the staff and the other volunteers I work with. Jessica Strauss, our volunteer coordinator is fantastic! She is continually checking in on the volunteers and making sure they have found the right place for themselves. I started in the group called “Through the Eyes of a Child” as a supportive child care volunteer. This group really opened my eyes to the change community support can make. The group works with children and their families to build on parenting strategies and overall wellness within the family unit. Carol Uyede, our supervising clinician, is one of the most remarkable and caring people I have met. The work she does with children and their families has such an amazing impact. Following my years of volunteering, I was hired as a Mental Health Respite Worker with CMHA WW and have continued to grow my career in the mental health field. Working and volunteering with CMHA WW are experiences I would never take back. The organization deeply cares for its clients, staff and volunteers as the support it offers to everyone is overwhelmingly warm. I truly feel at CMHA WW that I am family.

To learn more about volunteering at CMHA WW, click here.