Did you know? This year, April 27 to May 3 is National Volunteer Week!
With National Volunteer Week 2025 being underway, and this year's theme aptly called "Volunteers Make Waves,” I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for each and every volunteer contribution to the Canadian Evaluation Society as an organization almost entirely volunteer-run in its national and Chapter-level Board functions and initiatives. Like water in constant motion, your volunteer efforts–every email sent, every meeting attended, every document drafted, every story shared, every connection forged–are the waves that create the tides powering our professional community. Despite all these things being simply routine to each of us, it never fails to amaze me how these individual contributions blend together into remarkable group efforts. Behind every successful webinar, thoughtful publication and article, and engaging conference or event stands a chorus of volunteers who decided that building our evaluation community matters. These are all powered by your willingness to roll up your sleeves alongside your fellow evaluators, who never fail to make even the most tedious work feel like time well-spent. I volunteer in this role because I feel so fortunate to work alongside such a wonderful group of people every day. This has been echoed back at me in my discussions with members: our community is our currency. When I’ve asked members from across the country why they willingly donate so much of their time and energy to CES–what I get back, above all, is that we are a stunningly passionate and energetic group. We are excited to teach, willing to learn, eager to share, and open to new ways of knowing. And perhaps, simply put, because life is short, and it deserves to be spent with company that we enjoy. In all the volunteering I’ve done with CES over the years, I have yet to find a day where I don’t enjoy your company—the collegiality and friendship of so many people with so much to give. So, in sum, please accept my heartfelt thanks for the waves you’ve created, whether you’ve volunteered once, a hundred times, for a week, or for forty years. CES wouldn’t exist without you.
Please take a moment during this week to give a big thank you to yourself for all the time and effort you’ve given to CES and give thanks to another CES volunteer you know! Most sincerely,
Matthew Sanscartier, PhD, CE President, CES Vice-President, CES-MB