Every month CTV partners up with Volunteer Calgary to bring you stories about outstanding volunteers.
Get ready to go on a ride…because that is what it's like talking to Cailean David our VIP for this month. Cailean's energy and enthusiasm for life shines through as he talks about volunteering and his role at CJSW radio. It is like you hit the GO button when you ask Cailean to talk about what brought him to this role in life. He says when he left high school he was feeling lost, as he was very involved in drama, but he wasn't finding his spot as he entered University. He says he was looking for that "place" at University, an organization to belong to and meet people when he discovered CJSW. He started out volunteering by writing Public Service Announcements, and it wasn't long before he knew he wanted to take a more active role in the organization. Cailean is now on the Board of Directors! He said he had ideas to share and wanted to share those on a higher level. He wanted to ensure CJSW stayed a viable and important part of the Calgary landscape. He has done just that.
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Name: Cailean David
Organization: CJSW Radio
Describe your first experience with volunteerism: I didn't do a lot in high school, I just didn't have the time. CJSW was my introduction to volunteering.
What was your reason for volunteering with the organization: The station has been around for so long and the purpose it serves in the community is necessary, we can't lose it, we need to keep it vibrant and growing…we need to make sure it stays strong in the community.
How has volunteering impacted your life: There is really a lot of self satisfaction with it. The opportunities it has provided me have been exceptional, the board experience…I get to be intertwined in the community at a whole new level. I feel engrained in Calgary to a point that I never expected.
How would you say volunteering has impacted the lives of others: what I do is so internal and behind the scenes I can't really say how I've impacted others. Day to day I like my anonymity, people wouldn't know what I've been responsible for, but I think it's important that they recognize the importance of CJSW to the community.
What do you enjoy most about volunteering: it doesn't feel like I'm volunteering, it's fun and it's has become a family.
What do you like about Calgary: nobody understands how powerful the underground community is here. People think of this as an oil and gas city, but it's so much more. The country underestimates the arts community and its influence that comes out of Calgary. We have so many local bands and events that make it vibrant and enjoyable.
Which famous person would you like to meet: Cailean throws this one back at me, as he says he needs time to think…then he energetically talks about Jack Kerouac an author who has written the book On The Road. Cailean says "I like him because he went at life full on, he had free thought, he is kind of like me…"
