Volunteer

Volunteer of the Month

Olivia Dolinsky

For seven years, Olivia Dolinsky has been actively involved with our Language Services Department, where she volunteers as a Translator and Interpreter. Over the past several weeks however, Olivia has volunteered her time on an almost daily basis in our Employment Services department, assisting staff and newly arrived Ukrainian refugees as an Interpreter.

Volunteering at the Immigrant Centre is a family affair, and is how Olivia found her way to the Centre. “My husband was volunteering for the organization that was providing the same services before the Immigrant Centre was created. Once IC emerged and we learned about it, my entire family – first my husband ten years ago, then our adult son and I seven years ago – gladly joined it as volunteers.”

Olivia’s commitment to volunteering is rooted in her empathy and compassion for others. “There is a saying: “As long as a human does sense pain, he/she is alive. As long as a human does sense someone else’s pain, he/she is a human”. It matters to me a lot, and I find a great alignment between this principle and the Immigrant Centre’s mission.”

Today, Olivia is even more motivated to volunteer as Manitoba welcomes refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. “The war in Ukraine is not a war for Ukraine, it is for the world’s principles of liberty, rule of law, and life, as one side of the battle, and the forces that are undermining these principles globally. The Immigrant Centre is helping the victims of a very brutal aggression, and I am on the same side of this global battlefield as IC and Canada.”

“It is a glory and honour for me to work hand by hand with wonderful pros that IC is blessed to consist of. I would not mention it personally – just see the full list of employees and volunteers of IC, and every person you see is a stellar pro I am proud to be on the same team with.”