Behind The Scenes with AMA Volunteers
By
Debbie Bolton
VP Volunteers
June 2024 has been a very busy month of events, meetings and changes for AMA Toronto volunteers as we wind up our fiscal year and start planning for the next. Our incoming President, Olga Pigeon, will share more details of the changes and future plans in our August newsletter.
June has also been a time to reflect both on the chapter but also about my own volunteer experience. I joined the AMA Toronto board more than 14 years ago and have had many rewarding roles and opportunities during that time, including being president and a Mentor Exchange mentor. But the role I’ve enjoyed the most is the VP of Volunteers role which I’ve done since 2016. I’ve had the good fortune to recruit and engage with hundreds of our amazing volunteers and community members. AMA Toronto has grown and evolved from about 35 volunteers to over 90 with many more programs and events. For example, we launched this newsletter and I’ve been writing a volunteer blog in it since August 2020.
A number of our board members (including myself) are making changes this year and I’m sure they could also tell a compelling story of their AMA experiences. I am passing the day-to-day management of our wonderful Volunteer team over to the very capable AVP, Louise Taylor. I’m not leaving the AMA Board or team but will focus on special projects related to volunteers.
On behalf of AMA Toronto, I would like to thank the many volunteers who contributed to our success in June but also throughout this year, in years past and into the future.
- President Olga Pigeon and President-Elect Maxim Rakov who will lead the chapter with the guidance of our supportive Past-President Santo Ligotti and with the help of returning and new board members.
- Some of our long-term board members who are moving to different roles within AMA (Barbara Boyd, Miglena Nikolova, myself, Puneet Thadani, Tina Portillo).
- Other board members who are taking a break (Jacob Kessler)
- Some board members who are leaving for new adventures (Dawn Becker, Laurie Freeman, Heather Purcell).
- Our dedicated and talented volunteer community that works behind the scenes to ensure our events, communications and many programs serve our larger community. You’re truly AMAzing and the life blood of AMA Toronto!
June was a very busy month. Here’s a photo tour of some of activities: the volunteer strategic planning session, 4 events during Marketing Leadership Week and Mentor Exchange graduation. I hope this selection of photos captures some of the magic that makes AMA Toronto a very special organization. We do a lot, learn a lot but we also have fun!
Photos courtesy of many!
AMAzing Rockstars
There were many Rockstars who helped us through the busy month of June but we would like to recognize a few volunteers who went above and beyond during the past month. Thank you so very much!
Abraham Carreno:
Designer Marcom
Abraham took on the challenge of developing all the creative for Marketing Leadership Week in June. His positive attitude and quick turnarounds made it possible for AMA Toronto to get the word out for this awesome events series through email, social media and print and digital ads in the Globe and Mail. He was proactive, reaching out to check in on approvals and revisions. He demonstrates the true character of a Rockstar. Thanks Abraham for the amazing work and being so easy to work with.
Abraham has more than 14 years experience in graphic design and marketing. He is currently Philanthropy, Marketing and Communications Manager at White Ribbon
Raisa Temnova
Manager Events
Raisa joined the Events team in the winter and has increasingly taken on more responsibility. She has become a very active and dedicated member of the AMA community. She led the events team for Marketing Leadership Week events in June. Raisa attended every event and was involved in planning for each. She worked very hard on the set up and execution of the events including building the Eventbrite registration systems.
Raisa is currently the CMO of Citech and has more than 20 years experience in marketing and business development both in Ukraine and Canada.
For more information on AMA:
Please check our website for ongoing information on our programs and events, And don’t forget to watch for our posts on social and check your email in-box. There’s always something happening at AMA Toronto.
For more information on Volunteering :
If you’re interested in learning more about our talented volunteer community and opportunities, please contact me at [email protected] or [email protected]
