Growing up I’d pass through the Lonsdale Street Greek Festival in awe of the magnitude of the celebration; the vibrant atmosphere, delicious smelling food, and large crowds of people from all backgrounds celebrating and learning about my own Greek culture in the heart of the city.
Last year I decided to sign up as a volunteer because I wanted to give back to the community, get actively involved, and have the opportunity to meet other people who shared similar interests. I was inspired to see that the volunteers were not only members of the Greek diaspora; but people from all cultures, ages and walks of life.
Over the weekend, and later at the volunteer thank you event, we bonded over our shared passion for the Greek culture and community, and volunteering.
Beyond the feeling of helping the community and being part of a team, I also made great friends from this experience that I keep in touch with to this day.
After having so much fun last year greeting and assisting guests, helping back stage and getting to see the ‘behind the scenes’ work that goes into running this wonderful festival, I signed up to volunteer again in 2019 as soon as the applications opened, and encouraged friends to sign up too. I definitely recommend anyone to get involved as a volunteer for the Lonsdale Street Greek Festival, you’ll have a unique and fun experience seeing the festival from new perspective.
Stephanie Demetrios is a 25-year-old Bachelor of Science graduate (Statistics) working full time as a Technology Consultant. She also volunteer tutors English and enjoys cooking, dancing latin dance styles and spending time with family and friends.