This National Volunteer Week, Strong Start is proud to celebrate our incredible volunteers. Inspired by this year’s theme, “Volunteers Make Waves,” we’re reflecting on how every act of generosity creates a ripple of change—beginning with a single child and extending outward to families, schools, and communities.
At Strong Start, we see these ripples in motion every day. Whether it’s a word of encouragement, a shared laugh, or a high-five celebration of a new letter learned, our volunteers’ powerful actions create momentum, generating lasting impact that supports each child’s journey beyond our program.
Thanks to the time, care, and commitment of nearly 40,000 volunteers over the last 24 years, more than 60,000 children have been supported on their reading journeys—through a remarkable 670,000 volunteer hours across hundreds of programming sites throughout Ontario. Whether helping a child learn to read, providing leadership at the board table, coding our proprietary web applications, woodworking, or assembling materials at our National Program Deployment Centre, each Strong Start volunteer helps to build confidence, spark curiosity, and foster resilience in the children we serve.
To all our volunteers: thank you. Your kindness and commitment create brighter futures for today’s learners and tomorrow’s leaders.
Throughout the week, we invite you to join us on social media as we recognize Strong Start volunteers using the hashtags #NVW2025 and #VolunteersMakeWaves. You can also read more stories from our volunteers, families, and program partners here.
Do you have a Strong Start story of your own to share? We would love to hear it. Please email us at info@strongstart.ca.
With heartfelt gratitude,
The Strong Start Team