Corporate

Workplace Safety & Prevention Services 2012 Annual Report FINDING A HOME FOR MEANINGFUL VOLUNTEER WORK AT WSPS Dennis MacDonald is one of hundreds of individuals who believe in the moral imperative of people arriving home each day as safe as when they left it, and who act on that belief by serving as a WSPS volunteer. As a General Manager at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), he counts himself lucky to work for an organization that encourages community involvement. WSPS is grateful to have him. His volunteer activities at WSPS include serving on the Volunteer Council, and as chair of the Volunteer Recruitment, Recognition and Retention Standing Committee. He also promotes Networking Knowledge & Exchange sessions in the Mississauga and Peel Region, and has participated on both the 2011 and 2012 Partners in Prevention Niagara Advisory/Planning Teams. In 2012, his sights set on vulnerable youth, MacDonald completed the WSPS Young Worker Awareness Training Program, with the intent of turning his focus to engaging and promoting safety in classrooms within his community. Last year, MacDonald received the 2012 Larry Chester Excellence in Leadership Award, which recognizes emerging leaders registered in the Strategic Leadership program at the University of Toronto, and is presented to individuals who generate positive change in their workplace and community: as MacDonald says, "an incredible lift and truly an honour." What drives a man with a busy job and home life to selflessly volunteer precious time and resources to his community in this exceptional way? In his own words: DENNIS MACDONALD, General Manager, Commercial Customer Services, LCBO 10 Volunteering gives me the opportunity to increase my own awareness and knowledge. I encourage everyone to volunteer with a cause they are passionate about. It can provide you with hands-on experience, a platform for building and strengthening skills, including leadership development, and it offers great potential for professional networking and the creation of long-lasting friendships. I volunteer with WSPS because its values and mission closely align with my own, my organization's values, and those of other groups I am involved with, such as Threads of Life and the Canadian Standards Association. WSPS has the ability to help so many people work safe and work smart. It has opened my eyes to both the perceptions and realities of health and safety. The saying, "You don't know what you don't know," speaks true, as most people are unaware of the risks that surround them. I continue to volunteer with WSPS because it expands my ability to help promote and create a safety culture in homes, workplaces and communities. Of late, I have a growing awareness of young and vulnerable workers and that we all need to raise the bar in training and mentoring them. I cannot speak highly enough of the people at WSPS. Whether a full-time employee or a dedicated volunteer, I am surrounded by knowledgeable, open and enthusiastic individuals, who are all willing to share their skills, time and expertise with me and with others in the name of safety. It has been a privilege to engage in these relationships. I've learned that "me" and "my" don't really matter: it's about other people and their well-being

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