Volunteering

Volunteers have a long history of supporting events and activities in Waterloo. Find current openings, recognition and volunteer resources below. 

On this page

  1. Be You @ Waterloo
  2. Current volunteer opportunities
  3. Volunteer recognition 
  4. Community Builder Awards
  5. Volunteer Resources

Be You @ Waterloo

At the City of Waterloo, we are committed to recruiting a diverse volunteer team that represents the community we so proudly serve. All interested and qualified candidates, including Indigenous persons, Black persons, non-Black racialized persons or persons of colour, women, persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQ+ and those interested in joining our team are encouraged to apply.

Current volunteer opportunities

Outdoor ice rink volunteers
We're seeking responsible, community-minded adults or teens (16+) as neighbourhood rink volunteers. Assist with flooding, clearing snow, communicating rink rules.

This position requires a minimum commitment of 2 hours per week (day, evening or weekend).

Find a complete list of outdoor rink locations on our website.

Apply now

Volunteer driver

Help an older adult or adult with a disability by driving them to local appointments.

Volunteer drivers must:

  • be available one half or full weekday per week between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. 
  • be a friendly, dependable adult age 21+ with great communication skills
  • have a valid MTO G driver's licence and a reliable vehicle
  • have access to a smartphone
  • meet screening requirements

We will reimburse you for your mileage.

Apply to be a volunteer driver

Bilingual drivers needed

If you speak another language and would like to support newcomer older adults, please apply to be a bilingual driver.

Apply to be a bilingual driver

Aquatics volunteer

Assist with aquatics instruction at the WMRC, under the supervision of aquatics staff. You must:

  • be age 14 or older with current Bronze Cross certificate
  • First Aid and CPR certified
  • commit to the full session

Applications are now closed for winter sessions, and will reopen in February 2025 for spring session applications.
Set-up or tear-down Winterloo event volunteers 

The city of Waterloo is seeking volunteers to assist with the set-up or tear-down of our annual Winterloo event, an annual family-friendly outdoor festival.

Volunteers must be age 16+ and able to lift up to 30 pounds, as they will assist with the set up and tear down of event equipment, including tents, tables, signage and more.

  • date: Saturday January 25, 2025
  • location: Visitor Centre/ Waterloo Park Promenade
  • set-up shift: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
  • tear-down shift: 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

After you complete an application make sure you go to the next page where you sign up for a shift!

Apply to be a Winterloo volunteer

Volunteer recognition

Each April we celebrate National Volunteer Week by sending a special thank you to thousands of dedicated volunteers who make a positive impact in the community. We recognize volunteer milestones by saluting community builder award recipients with an ad in the Waterloo Chronicle.

2024 Volunteer Salute
2024 Volunteer recipients
Two year
Emma Cheeseman Iasmina Popa Isaac Zepeda-Ayala Jenna Phelan
Jingshu Zhang Reuben Brunsting Stephany Popa  
Five year
Adam Granville Alma Kentel Amy Butler Andrew Krestick
Anita Venugopal Anna Antczak Asma Ahmadi Autumn Grant
Barry Heft Bonnie Surette Brian Gallant Cameron Dell
Carrie Rickert Chantelle Thompson Chelsea Parkin Cheryl Nyusa
Dan Croutch Daniel Barros Darcy Donovan Dejan Radulovic
Doug Laginskie Edward Psutka Emily Crawford Emily Hanmer
Eric Mooney Erika Rikker Feng Goa Floyd Schmidt
Gabriela Ridlova Glen Roach Gordon Greavette Greg Guyatt
Greg Lamport Greg Miller Ian Bott Ian Kerr
Jaime Farwell James Gregg Jan Plug Janice Boich
Jef Alexander Jeff Picklyk Jeff Playford Jennette Hinsperger
Jennifer Clegg Jeremy de Belleval Jessica Larmer Jill Macallum
Jim Watson Joe Dwyer Joe Quadrilatero Joleen Taylor
Jon Daniels Judy McCrae Judy Monotiuk Junkai Xu
Karen Gee Kathryn Heft Ken Jackson Kevin Collins
Kevin McVicar Kok Shing Gan Kris Cates-Bristol Kyle Lambert
Kyle Devitt Joanne St-Jean Parrow Laura Nevill Lauren Weinberg
Les Misch Lori Martin Lorna Kennedy Marilyn Nijboer
Mario Pareja Mark Gillett Mary McKibbon Matthew Bender
Matthew Pryzmat Melanie Roberts Melanie Shelley Michael Ansell
Michael Bournon Michelle Cartier Michelle Stevens Mike Dixon
Monique McVicar Nasreen Hidayat Nathan Garland Pat Carr
Patrese Brydges Penny Miller Peter French Peter Kalbfleisch
Riley Dahmer Rob Lamport Robert Buchanan Robert McMurrren
Ryan Cartier Ryan Snider Samuel Marshall Scott Curtis
Scott Hopkins Scott Storey Sheila Bryan Suezanne Weppler
Sydney Enebeli Tara Cooper Tom Mandich Tracey Mansell
Tracy Starr Uzma Mahmood Vince Ryan Vivian Kourvetaris
Willy Alexander Yan Kang    
Ten year
Adam Duncan Andrea Dragoiescu Blaine Gray Calin Dragoiescu
Carrie Lovegrove Chad Campbell Chad Tailby Dan Clements
Dave Jaarsma David Bell Donna Kuehl Heather Morris
Ian Inglis Jackie Wall Jaime Mitchell Jeff Collins
Jerry Fischer Ken Frid Marilyn Dufresne Marv Franz
Mary Ducklow Michael Anttila Michelle McPhee Mike Tillich
Paul McKone Pauline Finch Peter Mansell Rachel Prichard
Rick Tokarz Sandy Weiler Sarah Funston Mills Shawn Artt
Stephanie Choquette Sue Frid Susan Michell Suzanne Brokaw
Fifteen year
Antero DaSilva Bob Gautier Chris Taylor David Dolsoon
Ellie Rimmer Merry Schmidt Philippe Elsworthy Ryan Terpstra
Scott Mueller Tina Chonko Trevor Wagler  
Twenty year
Arlene Jones Chris Jacob Christyn Kropf Dat Tran
Deb Crawford Fanny Villarte-Croce Hartman Krug Margaret Marsh
Mary Congdon Megan Roberts Sylvie Guillemette  
Twenty-five year
Charlene Herbert Glen Keelan John Thiessen Margaret Mousseau
Nancy Peng Roberta Jacob Tim Osland  
Thirty year
Cindy Wright Dorel Terpenka Viki Ledwinka  
Forty-five year
Fran Henderson Heather Rawlings

Nominating organizations

We thank these community groups for nominating their volunteers:

  • CAFKA
  • City of Waterloo
    • Committees of Council
    • Community Programs
    • Events
    • Outdoor Ice Rinks
    • Partners in Parks
    • Pollinator Working Group
  • Erb West Share and Care House
  • KW Community Orchestra
  • K-W Silver Stars
  • KW Water Polo
  • Laurelwood Neighbourhood Association
  • MT Space
  • Waterloo Concert Band
  • Waterloo Girls Minor Hockey
  • Waterloo Minor Soccer
  • Waterloo Public Library
  • Sunnydale Community Centre

 

Many of our civic awards also speak to the spirit of volunteers in the community. 

Community Builder Awards

This award recognizes volunteers who provide ongoing service with the City of Waterloo and affiliate programs. 

Nomination forms are sent to eligible organizations in early January.

Recognition 

Recognition takes place through the organizations that volunteers support.

There are two types of pins, a standard Waterloo volunteer pin and milestone pin for service in increments of five years. A two year milestone pin is also available for persons age 25 and under.

The city recognizes all recipients in the Waterloo Chronicle during National Volunteer Week in April.

Organizations choose how to recognize recipients. It's typically done at board meetings, annual general meetings or volunteer recognition events. The city distributes pins to the organizations in March to coincide with National Volunteer Week.

Volunteer resources

  • Volunteer Waterloo Region has local volunteer postings from over 150 different organizations
  • Volunteer Canada provides tools and guidelines for those interested in volunteering or managing volunteers
  • PAVRO is the provincial resource for Volunteer Managers
  • VMPC is the national resource for Volunteer Managers.