Taylor Robinson, Thanks for Doing Some Good!
What first inspired you to volunteer?
I was first inspired to volunteer by my parents and grandparents. Growing up, I saw them volunteering at events and for programs in the community and it made it easy to start volunteering.
Which cause are you most passionate about and why?
I am most passionate about getting kids swimming and improving water safety. I volunteered and worked at the H20 Adventure and Fitness centre for 4 years as a lifeguard and swim instructor and always enjoyed teaching swimming lessons. That led me to join Making Waves in 2012 when I started school at the UBCO - University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus. I loved the idea behind the organization and still have fun every weekend teaching kids to swim.
Which organization do you most commonly volunteer for?
I am the most involved with SwimAbility, which was formerly known as Making Waves, where I organize our instructors and students as well as teach lessons. At SwimAbility, our goal is to provide affordable and accessible one-on-one swim lessons to kids in the community with various physical and mental disabilities. In our current session, we have around 60 kids registered and around 25 volunteer instructors. All of our instructors are students at UBCO and they are awesome at making lessons a lot of fun but also productive. I have been a part of SwimAbility since 2012 and look forward to continuing to volunteer with this great program.
What does a typical volunteer shift look like for this organization?
We have weekly lessons on Saturdays at Parkinson Rec Centre from 12:30-2:00pm. My volunteer shift involves getting our instructors set up with their kids and helping out with lessons. I also teach my own lesson during one of the time slots. In the past I have taught more than I am teaching now, but I have started to take on more of an organizational role along with teaching. Besides the logistics of lessons, the volunteering consists of a lot of laughs, smiles and fun in the pool with our amazing instructors and awesome students!
What impact have you seen volunteers make in the community?
Volunteering in the community has an immeasurable effect. There are so many dedicated and inspiring people running programs that do a lot for the community and the people in it.
What is the most memorable moment or experience you've had while volunteering?
My favourite part of volunteering with SwimAbility is seeing my kids progress over the course of a lesson set and also from year to year. It is very rewarding to see them having a lot of fun and learning at the same time!
What support does your organization currently need, and how can people learn more or get involved?
The only support our organization needs at the moment is help spreading the word to allow us to continue to grow and teach more and more kids in the coming sessions. To learn more about our program, you can visit our website at: http://okanagan.swimability.org/ or send us an email at: okanagan@swimability.org.
Is there anyone else you would like to recognize that has helped support you to make a difference?
Wyatt Slattery has been a huge supporter of this organization. He does everything needed to keep this organization expanding and able to provide the quality of one-on-one lessons that we do. He works tirelessly replying to emails, coordinating instructors, applying for funding, teaching lessons and anything else that is needed. I have known Wyatt for a lot of years and it is fun working together to keep SwimAbility running smoothly!