Volunteer
"Entertaining", "rewarding", "short term", and "local" are key words to describe the Kiwanis Festival volunteer experience. The festival is held in the wonderful Chinese Cultural Centre, located right here in Scarborough, at Progress and Sheppard Aves. The building is beautiful, accessible, and has plenty of free parking.
The festival runs from Tuesday, February 18, 2025 to Saturday, March 1, 2025--just short of two weeks--and no one is expected to volunteer every day. In fact, things are organized in morning, afternoon and even some evening shifts, and you may select as many or as few as suits your schedule.
We need enthusiastic individuals - like you! - to be Welcome Desk Monitors and Keynote 'Adjudicator's Assistants'.
If you are interested in hearing great music and being a part of the 2025 Toronto Kiwanis Festival, please start by completing a Volunteer Sign-Up Form (links below), and our Volunteer Coordinator will be in touch.
Welcome Desk Monitors
Two to three people per shift will be scheduled to give a warm greeting to all who come to the Festival and to manage ticket sales, program distribution and collection of cash donations. You might also be asked to help direct traffic for days that involve large groups of bands, choirs and orchestras.
Being a Volunteer "Keynote" for the Toronto Kiwanis Festival
The nuts and bolts of keynoting are clearly and thoroughly explained in written instructions and a training session for new volunteers. In addition, new volunteers are paired with veterans for their first shift.
The keynote's role is to be a combination master of ceremonies, assistant to the adjudicator, and recorder of marks/awards. Absolutely no musical qualifications are needed. The paperwork (certificates and adjudication sheets) have all been done ahead of time, and put in file folders according to class, eg. Grade 5 piano class 1021A. The keynote manages these, welcomes the audience and introduces each competitor, and records the marks.
The reward comes from knowing you made it all run smoothly, because the children are often keyed up, and the adjudicators focused solely on their work. The volunteer's calm management, humour, and kindness set the tone for a successful session. Parents and competitors often thank volunteers profusely for helping everyone relax.
The entertainment comes from many sources: the musical artistry of the advanced students, younger children trying to do their very best, the adjudicators' comments and ways of working with the children, and the whole celebratory atmosphere of "big things happening".