Super Volunteer! –
If you started volunteering in one of the Hastings Sunrise CPC volunteer programs, there is a very good chance that you will meet Kajol Gounder sooner than later.
She came to the HSCPC in August 2020 and is now one of our most involved individuals: Kajol is a patrol team shift leader one evening a week, works the front office one afternoon a week and joins road safety shifts whenever she can. She also actively participates in CPC outreach events, such as Shredding Day, and just recently got hired as a member of our Sunrise Safety Team.
Kajol found her way to the CPC very early on in life as she and her sister participated in Community Cleanup events during high school. “I came back to the CPC last year in order to learn about law enforcement, get to know other volunteers and become more comfortable talking to people. I have found all of these things at the CPC,” Kajol explains.
Since becoming a patrol shift leader, Kajol has been busy creating a dedicated team of volunteers: “I really enjoy coming up with team-bonding activities. We always pick different spots in the neighbourhood to get a snack or drink, and we even meet up after patrol to do activities together. Every weekend night I choose a different food theme; the most popular one was “slammin’ salmon” where we all got sushi at our favourite spot in Hastings Sunrise.”
When asked what surprised her most about volunteering at the HSCPC, Kajol says that she learned many things that she wouldn’t have had the chance to learn otherwise. “I now feel confident enough to deal with concerns from the public and have expanded my skill set when it comes to writing reports.
“Being a volunteer in a police environment, I also expected things to be very formal and strict, but the Hastings Sunrise CPC is a very welcoming organization with great staff and volunteers who go out of their way to create an inclusive environment.”
Wanting to understand more about mentoring people, Kajol took over the shift leader position from another volunteer who had recently been hired as a VPD Special Municipal Constable.
“It is important to find out what volunteers are interested in, to find common ground, in order to keep them engaged. For example, our team bonded over our shared love of Korean noodles when one of our team members cooked noodles for the entire patrol crowd,” raves Kajol. “I am sure that even if people will leave our patrol team one day we will stay in touch because we have discovered so many shared interests while volunteering at the Hastings Sunrise CPC.”