Name: Paul Shang
Roles: Tree Aftercare Assistant
About Paul: Community service brings me enjoyment and gives me a sense of achievement, responsibility, personal growth and belonging. At first, my intention for volunteering was simply to fill my volunteer hours to graduate high school; however, as my involvement grew, I’d fulfilled four times the required commitment hours. Growing up, I’ve always valued the importance of protecting the environment. At home, I do my best to conserve energy and recycle; I even planted a few trees in my backyard. But I wanted to help the environment on a larger scale, so I searched online for local volunteering opportunities that enabled me to help the environment, and that’s how I discovered ReForest London. I spent my entire summer volunteering for this organization and participated in almost all of the aftercare events. It was a lot of hard work, but it gave me a sense of fulfillment.
Why I volunteer with Reforest London: I volunteer with ReForest London because I support what the organization stands for and does. ReForest London has contributed to a greener and healthier London and I want to be part of its mission. By volunteering with RFL, I’ve obtained important knowledge and skill regarding trees and how they are planted and taken care of. Additionally, all the staff and volunteers are all incredibly friendly, welcoming, and committed to their work; this gives a strong sense of community. I look forward to volunteering more with ReForest London and improving the environment.
Name: Nathan Mathews
Roles: Tree Aftercare Assistant
About Nathan: I joined ReForest London as a volunteer in July of 2021. I was born in India and grew up there till I was seven years old. Back then, I loved to be outside in the nature, take care of our gardens with my grandmother, and walk around the river near our house. Then in 2013, I came to Canada and straight to London. I love living here, and the city-nature combination it brought, which other cities I have been to didn’t. I loved biking around the city and going to different trails with my friends.
Currently, I am in grade 12 at A. B. Lucas Secondary School, and as a mission to do more activities after COVID, I chose to help the community by doing different volunteer work. That’s when my friend Paul introduced me to ReForest London and asked if I wanted to join too. I said yes, and I thought it would help make London a greener/healthier place and make sure London stayed as that city that I also knew as a kid when I came here.
Which part of the volunteer experience do you enjoy the most and why?
Working at RFL has been enjoyable, and I relished every moment of it. The entire staff and volunteers are incredibly kind, welcoming, and committed to their work. The day I joined, I felt like I was part of a strong team and community wanting to make the city healthier. ReForest London has and continues to make a difference in the community, and being part of that was very gratifying. I gained a lot more knowledge about trees and skills about how they’re planted and cared for. Furthermore, I enjoyed going around different parts of London. I hope to continue volunteering with RFL, meet new people, and help make London a better place.