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We help get businesses and people get more involved within their communities by making volunteering simple and engaging to help the vulnerable and those who need our support.
The Community of Big Hearts officially launched in November 2019, with the first episode of the Community Big Hearts Podcast with Stu Starkey, but the team’s passion for community involvement began years earlier.
Back when Stu was running Two Small Men with Big Hearts, he and his business partner realized that profits weren’t the sole motivator they needed. There needed to be a higher sense of purpose to stay energized and excited to put in those long hard days at work. They realized that when they gave back to their community by using their skills, expertise, and infrastructure, it gave them that sense of duty. Through their company’s community giveback programs, their business was taking on a new meaning. When they committed to the 1% pledge – donating 1% of staff time to volunteering in the community, they knew they were starting to have a real impact. This program was extremely popular and was making a difference to charitable organizations and their own leadership team but was very difficult to track and maintain in a sustainable way. Stu knew there needed to be a better way for businesses to find volunteer opportunities and track their hours and experiences on an ongoing basis.
Stu saw the impact staff volunteering had on his business. He saw not only a need to build a solid volunteer base but also to educate those volunteering on the populations they were serving. What started as a one-day workshop to educate his staff on the unhoused population they were working with turned into an opportunity to work with others to build empathy. Today, the Community of Big Hearts works with Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour to develop and present workshops on the relevant social issues facing the business community today. We strive to host these workshops in a way that reaches even the most reluctant participant while honouring those who share their stories with our audiences. We encourage our participants to continue their work in the community with our Volunteer App. Designed specifically for businesses, our app offers appropriate volunteer opportunities for staff members and addresses the obstacles of tracking and verifying volunteer hours that Stu faced in the past.
The Community of Big Hearts team is continuously growing and still has the same passion for getting people involved in their community. Reach out today to share your story or begin volunteering today!
The Community of Big Hearts gratefully acknowledges that we create, connect, and celebrate on Treaty One Territory – original land of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Ojibway, Dene, and Dakota peoples, and homeland of the Red River Métis nation. We are committed to building relationships, and sharing knowledge and cultural understanding of all communities. Understanding our diversity fosters pride and mutual respect.
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