Danielle Gibbons

The Silhouette

Being a McMaster Student, it is often easy to get disconnected from the rest of Hamilton, but the city is just waiting to be explored. While you’re at McMaster, get involved. The city is much more than smoke stacks and dirty streets. We have art, culture, community and history. Take a chance on Hamilton and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what this city has to offer.

Specifically, do what you can for others in the Hamilton community. There is no better time of year to start.

Try checking out www.opirg.ca, the Ontario Public Interest Research Group at McMaster. They have a number of opportunities available. Volunteer Hamilton is another excellent resource to begin community involvement.

One particular Hamilton organization does quite a lot to improve this city. Salvation Army Hamilton is a respected institution that provides social services to the city’s disadvantaged citizens. Salvation Army is a globally recognized charitable institution.

In Hamilton, it provides a number of services. You’ve all seen the Santas collecting donations at the mall, but the Salvation Army involves far more than that. It provides shelter, food, clothing and addictions assistance to both men and women, and assists young parents in completing their high school diplomas.

It also provides support programs to autistic adults and seniors with dementia. It runs a suicide support line and provides disaster relief, being one of the major players in rebuilding Goderich, Ontario after the recent tornado.

Across Canada each December, the Salvation Army hosts a charity run called the Santa Shuffle. A 5km run and 1km walk, the event raises funds that go directly to helping families during the holiday season.

This year, the run takes place on Dec. 3 at St. Mary’s Catholic Secondary School in Westdale. McMaster students are welcome to attend or even participate in the local event, which is hosted by The Running Room. This is a great opportunity to assist families and get some much-needed volunteer hours for resumes and teacher’s college applications.

Not interested in branching out of the Westdale bubble quite yet? The McMaster Students Union also has a number of volunteer and club opportunities that may interest you. Either way, participating makes a difference.