Meet Our Volunteers

Aderonke Onipede arrived in Canada from Nigeria with her family in early 2023 to study business analytics and insights at Centennial College. They chose Canada after hearing from others that it’s a welcoming, friendly nation. As an advocate of volunteering and community service in her home country, Aderonke was eager to find similar opportunities in the Greater Toronto Area. After researching online, she felt the YMCA of Greater Toronto was the ideal place, embodying the warm, engaging, friendly, and diverse culture she was looking for. She signed up as a volunteer to help in any way she could with our various youth and children’s programs. Her first volunteer role was at the Scarborough Tapscott YMCA Food Bank, then with our Black Achievers Mentorship Program. She’s become more involved with Black Achievers and was recently honoured with a Certificate of Leadership. Aderonke also volunteers once a week with the YMCA Employee Assistance for Immigrants program, and she received the Y’s New Immigrant Volunteer Award in May 2024. She’s made impressive contributions in such a short period! Aderonke says the YMCA helped her discover her hidden potential and has given her a sense of belonging. As a result of her dedication, Aderonke was recently offered a part-time position with YMCA Child Care. She would like others considering volunteering to know that the YMCA has something for everyone, regardless of age or background, and believes in creating hope and opportunities for all.

Amanda began her journey with the YMCA of Greater Toronto in September 2023 as a placement student with the Newcomer Youth Leadership Development Program. She has demonstrated exceptional dedication, skill and commitment throughout and contributed significantly to program development and planning, including the new Newcomer Community Safety Project, where she mentored and guided youth. Amanda has dedicated her time to building meaningful relationships with our youth, providing guidance, support, and encouragement. They see Amanda as part of their Y family, and her empathetic approach has positively impacted many of their lives. For example, when a youth opened up to Amanda about her struggle with anxiety, making friends, and trying new things, Amanda shared her lived experience to connect with the young person on their level and provide practical guidance and a supportive ear. This youth thanked Amanda for her patience and encouragement. As part of her work, Amanda created comprehensive resource booklets for staff and youth outlining services available to newcomers in downtown Toronto. Themes include mental health, employment, well-being, and skill development. Throughout this development process, Amanda ensured youth were central to every decision. As a result, they felt ownership over this project. In May 2024, she received the YMCA Outstanding Achievement in Volunteerism for her efforts. With a passion for making a difference in the lives of others, Amanda is an invaluable asset to our organization. Her contributions have enriched our programs and profoundly and positively impacted youth participants. Amanda would like others considering volunteering at the YMCA to know that it offers a supportive, welcoming, and safe environment that allows you to grow as a person and help others in meaningful ways.

For over 18 years, Colleen Whelan has been strong supporters of the YMCA of Greater Toronto. Most recently, she helped with North York YMCA food bank from November of 2021, during the height of COVID-19, until early 2024, before moving to Muskoka, Ontario. In early 2022, more clients visited the North York YMCA food bank. Unfortunately, donations were low, demand was high,  and the food banks didn’t have enough food to feed those in need most days. In response to this situation, Colleen, an accomplished indoor rower, and her spouse Nathalie Piché who has experience in endurance events, came up with the idea to host an indoor ultra-distance marathon rowing event at the North York YMCA to attract much-needed donations! For months, Colleen trained physically and mentally, and Nathalie planned and organized the logistics for this food and fundraising event. On May 12, 2023, Colleen set a Concept2 World Record in her age category and displayed unparalleled dedication by completing an astounding 1 million metres of indoor rowing in just six days, 22 hours, 50 minutes, and 48.2 seconds! This accomplishment is a testament to her physical endurance and unwavering commitment to pushing boundaries and inspiring those around her. Throughout, Nathalie was by Colleen’s side, monitoring her health and promoting the North York YMCA food bank as she engaged members and raised awareness about their campaign. Erin Smith, the lead coordinator for the event, shared that the North York YMCA community was inspired by and in awe of Colleen and Nathalie’s ambition to create a world record to raise donations for the food bank. Members demonstrated support by rowing alongside Colleen, spreading the word about the event, and donating non-perishable food items. They received enough food to create approximately 1,000 food boxes and raised more than $3,000. The food was used to "top up" on days when donations from North York Harvest Food Bank were low and helped the North York YMCA team continue battling food insecurity. As a result of their impact, Colleen and Nathalie were awarded the Group Volunteer Awards from the YMCA of Greater Toronto in May 2024. Colleen and Nathalie would like people to know that the YMCA is a caring organization that believes strongly in community building and inclusion and exemplifies its stated values in all of its day-to-day interactions.

Thank you, Colleen and Nathalie, for your amazing work!

Brian has been a YMCA member for 44 years and a Group Fitness leader for the past 30 years, teaching a variety of fitness and aquatics programs including Cyclefit, Circuit, Hi-Lo, Cardio Step, Muscle and Core Conditioning. He encouraged, promoted and raised awareness for many YMCA special events and signature fundraising events. In 2002 and 2012, he received the YMCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Volunteerism. Without a doubt, he is a fitness ambassador. 

Today, you can find Brian teaching Bodyfit run, leading the runners/walkers club, hiking, and cycling groups. He keeps participants updated with weekly emails and handouts featuring fitness and nutrition tips, and organizes special events for members. In addition to fueling his passion and enthusiasm for the Y, Brian says volunteering enables him to give back to the Y community and society. "It’s a great way to stay fit while helping others achieve their own fitness goals," he says. "And it’s fun!”

Thank you, Brian, for helping our communities shine!

Olivia started volunteering as a Group Mentor with the Black Achievers Program (BAP) which launched in September 2021. We thank Oliva for sharing her expertise, inspiration and for shaping future leaders of tomorrow. Learn more about Olivia below. Throughout my educational and professional journey, I have mostly worked with young people. So, when I seen the social media ad for the Black Achievers program, I said "Of course! Why not?" As an advocate for race equity, education empowerment, and youth development, I seen the BAP as the perfect opportunity to pour back into my community. I understand that I am both an agent of social control and social change. In addition to my job, I wanted to sow into the lives of young Black students so they can help their families, contribute to society and be leaders in their communities. What I love most about volunteering at the YMCA is building positive, healthy and long-lasting relationships with the participants. Many times, I see a younger version of myself in the youth and I just marvel. From workshops to in-depth conversations, I see their intelligence, creativity, authenticity, and gifts. It's truly a privilege to sit front row and witness how awesome our young people are. Volunteering at the YMCA has taught me that we are all students of life and we can learn from anyone no matter their age. Although I am a mentor for the Black Achievers program, the students have taught me a lot about morals, values, healthy boundaries, and more. The students have taught me that as humans, we know the price of everything but the value of nothing. The teaching and learning pieces from our youth are so invaluable. After each session, you begin to look at life in retrospect to see how you can be a better person, friend, relative, coworker, and community member. Furthermore, I encourage everyone to get involved in volunteering someway or somehow. I promise that you will walk away with so many gems.

Chester has supported the YMCA since 2015 and has made an impact on many of our programs at Central YMCA as a member of the Health and Fitness Volunteer Leadership Council, Classroom Assistant and a Mentor for newcomers. This week we celebrate and thank Chester for his leadership and dedication to our clients. Learn more about Chester below. “I was a member of YMCA for its fitness programs, but when I retired, I found how much more it did for the community. I had the opportunity to talk with the capable and dedicated people at the YMCA Newcomer Centre, and the YMCA Academy, and those discussions led to jointly developing activities that contributed to their goals. So in effect, with guidance and support, I was able to create my own roles. The Y's mandate is to create new and better ways to help its community, instilling a mindset in the staff and volunteers that encourages improvement. This empowers volunteers to use their skills and judgment in such improvement. The staff, volunteers, and members have become a new and vital community in my retirement. What I've learned has expanded (and continues to expand) my skills and knowledge in ways that I couldn't have planned or anticipated. So, a post-retirement sense of purpose, growth and community. Thank you YMCA!” – Chester

Lara is one of our Youth Mentors who support Next Stop Canada Youth (NSCY), an online platform aimed at welcoming pre-arrival immigrants and helping them transition into their new life in Canada. We thank Lara for the creativity, ideas, leadership and enthusiasm she has demonstrated as a part of the NSC team. Learn more about Lara below: “Although I was very interested in being part of the Next Stop Canada team, it was not the sole reason why I chose to volunteer at the YMCA. The Next Stop Canada team stood out to me, each member having a unique personality and background. I was stunned that they were keen on listening to my ideas, even though I was a high school student with no past work experience. I was thrilled at the thought of being involved in this welcoming community, and the encouragement they showed towards helping volunteers to develop and succeed. I am very grateful for all the resources and opportunities for growth at the YMCA. Volunteers can attend free trainings on miscellaneous topics such as accessibility, equality, public speaking, and mental health. The YMCA has enabled me to take on leadership roles whereby I can manage projects while learning new skills. It's a unique combination of creativity and critical thinking. I have learned valuable leadership skills that I would not have otherwise, such as project management and articulating ideas. Through the NSCY program, I am able to connect with other mentors who have immigrated to Canada and with people who share similar experiences as me. That, and being able to guide mentees with my honest advice and knowledge, is both comforting and rewarding. Moreover, running ideas by the team and working together to improve them has brought new perspectives into my life, helping me learn new skills and grow as an individual. The support I have encountered as a volunteer has motivated me to surpass my limits and become who I am today. The guidance, advice, as well as heartful encouragement from my team, has shown me that a sense of community is just as important as academic performance and how many achievements one has—if not more.” – Lara