Volunteer of the Month - February 2018

Robin Harwig is Immigrant Services Calgary’s Volunteer of the Month.

Robin immigrated to Canada with his parents from England in the 1960s. They came by ship to Quebec and then took a three-day train ride, which was arduous but interesting. His parents borrowed the money for the trip from the Government of Canada and chose to come to Calgary, a fast growing city of 400,000 people.

He received his Amateur Radio Operator’s License at 16, learned to play guitar and then went on to complete his education with a Bachelor of Arts. Along the way, Robin also got his Pilot’s License. He became Canadian citizen at 21, and explored Canada from one end to the other over the years.

“Canada has been a great country for me!”

Now semi-retired, Robin was looking for new opportunities. Being an immigrant himself, he empathizes with the challenges and dreams of newcomers.

He came to Immigrant Services Calgary at the beginning of 2017 and, from the first moment, his cheerful presence filled the room with energy. He wanted to help newcomers feel at home and integrate faster; he wanted to have a contribution in making Calgary a better place for everyone. We signed him up for community volunteering and the very next month Robin started tutoring the young students at one of ISC’s Homework Help Clubs. Throughout 2017, he went on to engage in various community initiatives both with ISC and ISC’s partners, contributing over 85 volunteer hours.

“Being with youth and other volunteers is really fun and challenging. I love to be around all types of people, learning languages and personalities, and appreciating the humor of youth. ISC allows many such opportunities and I look forward to new experiences in 2018!”

It has been great working with you, Robin. We hope you will continue volunteering with ISC for as long as possible. Congratulations!