CMETrust Volunteer Post: Jessica and Jane

Moving to a new city can be challenging. You need to make a new home out of a place that is unfamiliar, you need to find new places to hangout, new friends and get settled into a new life. After being in Ottawa for a year an old friend from Nova Scotia contacted me through – you guessed it – Facebook. He told me he and his girlfriend had recently moved to the city. I replied and told him about some of the things I liked to do and said that we should all get together sometime soon. After not hearing back from my friend I took it upon myself to contact Jessica, his girlfriend. I knew it hadn’t been easy for me to get settled in this new city so I thought I should introduce myself, help someone out and maybe make a new friend too! After a few email exchanges Jessica and I started going around the capital together. It was like we were old friends. We started hanging out more and more. We would go out dancing, take in art exhibits, have homemade dinners together, and sometimes just have a quiet night watching movies.

One night when we were talking about plans for the upcoming week, Jessica mentioned that she was a volunteer for an organization called the Canada Mathare Education Trust. She explained the organization and that her co-worker was the founder/ president. I said, “sign me up.”

Who knew that trying to help a friend get settled into a new city would eventually lead me to fulfilling my dream of volunteering for an organization that helps children internationally, and that makes a difference in the lives of people who don’t always have the same opportunities that we do here in Canada? Before meeting Jessica I didn’t even know where to start to find an organization to volunteer with in Ottawa.

Jessica and I have now been volunteering with CMETrust for over a year. Being part of CMETrust is like being part of a family. Everyone is working together to ensure that children in Kenya can go to school and achieve whatever they set their mind to. It’s refreshing to be part of an organization where everyone is willing to help and lend a hand. You never have to ask twice. Someone is always there to support and get you through.

My dream of volunteering for an international organization came true: I can now help a child in Kenya achieve their dream, from right here in Canada. An added bonus in all this is that I now get to see one of my best friends more often, and planning fundraising events together gives us an excuse to hang out even more!

Volunteering with CMETrust has helped me call Ottawa home, which is pretty hard for an East Coaster.