We interviewed Diane Brokenshire, a volunteer and steering committee member at Together Project! This is the first in a series of features.

1. Please introduce yourself.

Hi, I’m Diane Brokenshire. I’m a volunteer and steering commitee member at Together Project.

I’ve worked in corporate human resources for most of my career, and that’s taken me to different countries in the world. So I’ve lived in the US, I’ve lived in the UK, I’ve lived in Singapore, and of course, I’ve lived in Canada.

And that’s really brought me to working with newcomers, because I’ve been a newcomer myself.

And you may say, “The UK, not really that different from Canada,” but day three, I was there and I locked myself out of my apartment, and I realized, I have nobody to call; I am on my own– there’s no key with a friend or my mom. So I had that experience of being a newcomer and being a bit lonely, and not knowing what to do.

I also appreciate what a difference it makes when you have somebody to help you out.

2. What inspired you to volunteer with Together Project?

I moved back from Singapore about two years ago, and I was looking for a way to get back into the community. I saw Together Project on social media and it looked really interesting, so I signed up and it was a nice way to get back into Toronto, back into the community, after being away for several years.

3. What has your volunteer experience been like?

So I have been in two different matches, and they’ve both been phenomenal. The first one was with a woman and her child. She had housing, she had a job, but what she didn’t have was connection.

So the highlight for that match, for me, was the volunteers coming together to work with her to work through all the different associations and try and figure out how she could get help and support, and then being that support for her as well.

On my second match, different situation– another newcomer who was a woman, younger, landed on her own. And she was in a shelter, and she needed help with everything: housing, education, finding a job, and the group came together and we just worked through all of those different scenarios with her and helped her find avenues and ways to connect and to satisfy all those needs.

And the highlight for me is, this was probably about eight months ago, and now I can look and I can see, she’s getting permanent housing, she’s got her education sorted, she’s got a part-time job, so I can see the success and how the group’s helped her to achieve that. So those have been massive highlights.

4. How can potential volunteers join us?

So there’s two ways you join a Welcome Group. You can come together as a group with your friends, or you come on your own. I came on my own both times.

And both times, I was matched with absolutely stunning volunteers. And when you have strangers come together to help another person, it is just an unbelievable feeling.

Want to learn more about volunteering with Together Project? Click here: www.togetherproject.ca/volunteer