With the start of a New Year, possibly you’re interested in starting the year out right but volunteering more of your time to helping others. This past week, I had the honour of interviewing Tayler Evans, a truly inspiring student at the University of Waterloo. Tayler is actively involved both on and off campus with volunteer work. Her compassion and drive have led her to so many opportunities that she chose to share with me during our interview.
About Her:
Tayler is a double major, studying Psychology and Sociology, in her 2B term. She also grew up here in Waterloo. She hopes to pursue a career in speech language pathology after she graduates. Currently, Tayler is philanthropy chair for the AOII sorority her on campus. Through her role here, she hopes to get her sisters more involved and help the community. In the past, she has facilitated events throughout the Greek community as Philanthropy Chair on Greek Council. She hopes to bring her position with AOII together with her volunteer work off campus and host larger events.
Off Campus, Tayler volunteers her time with KidsAbility, and holds a job in applied behavioural analysis with instructional therapy. She worked with summer camps and discovered that she loved children. Partnered with her passionate for helping people with disabilities, she was inspired to get involved. “Every single one of them is fabulous, I help them but they also help me,” she expressed during our interview.
In the future, she hopes to take opportunities to help out more people by giving her time to more charities and events.
AOII:
Tayler’s role with AOII allows her to plan charitable events with her sisters. She expressed hopes to coordinate an event between AOII and Kidsability this semester, as she has done in the past with her position on Greek council. Last year, she and the rest of the Greek community sold teddy bears at a Waterloo Warriors Hockey Game.
KidsAbility:
KidsAbility works with children and youth by providing support through therapy and services. They were able to assist over 6000 children and youth last year across their five sites: Cambridge, Waterloo, Kitchener, Fergus, and Guelph.
Tayler first heard about KidsAbility through other people, and immediately took interest. She then reached out to the volunteer coordinator through email. Together, they then worked together to find a placement for Tayler that made her comfortable. Since then, she has been able to help several kids through this program. When asked of her favourite part about volunteering her time here, she said, “The kids that I work with, The people that I get to meet (volunteers and kids), the people at Kidsability all have a passion about helping kids and it brings us all together, so even when we have a bad day we always know it will turn around with a smile.” She also mentioned that it was her position here that helped her figure out what she wanted in life and what she was good at.
She strongly encourages others to get involved with KidsAbility as well, as both nice to help out other people, but also is a great experience.
Interviewing Tayler this past week was truly a wonderful experience. She is incredibly passionate and inspired by the work that she does. Whether you share her passions or wish to take on a different role, her best advice was to find something you’re passionate about and never doubt yourself. I encourage everyone to stop by and say “hi” if you see her on campus!
Interested in getting involved?
KidsAbility – volunteerservices@kidsability.ca
AOII – Recruiting this term! Check out their Facebook page for more details: https://www.facebook.com/uwaoii/