Volunteers Make Waves: Valuing Volunteer Voices

Together, We Create Ripples of Change

The theme for National Volunteer Week 2025 is "Volunteers Make Waves". It highlights the power, impact, and importance of individual and collective volunteer efforts across our city and our country. Like a wave, volunteering is movement building and the ripple effects are felt throughout community.

Join us as we come together to recognize and celebrate all the ways volunteers make waves in Hamilton. Share your volunteer experiences, tell us what motivates you to volunteer your time, and how we can better support you.

Volunteer Voices Matter!

Did You Know?

Volunteerism through civic engagement helps keep residents informed and active in shaping their communities. The City of Hamilton's 14 Volunteer Citizen Advisory Committees have achieved a lot, but after a year-long review, we recognize the need to adapt to better meet the changing needs of our communities.

Want to know more about how we got here? Read the Closing the Loop – Volunteer Advisory Committee Review 2023 - 2025 Summary Report.

By creating a new model for civic engagement through a shift to Community Liaison Groups, we aim to involve a wider range of voices and respond more quickly to community and City priorities. This shift will make civic engagement more dynamic, attracting volunteers passionate about sharing their ideas. Over the next year, we’ll work with the community to create a flexible, inclusive, and sustainable approach to engagement.

We Want to Hear From You!

We’re reaching out to better understand what motivates people to volunteer, the kinds of support they need, and the forms of appreciation that matter most. Your input will help us improve future volunteer opportunities and co-create more meaningful, accessible, and effective ways for people to get involved in civic life.

What we learn will also help guide the creation of new Community Liaison Groups – spaces where community members can help shape decisions and bring local voices to the table on issues that matter most to them.

Thanks for being part of the conversation!