It was a perfect fit right from the start for Jackie Miller.
The Manulife systems analyst was looking for a way to help others and found it almost three years ago when she joined the board of SHORE Centre (Sexual, Health, Options, Resources and Education) in Kitchener.
“I believe the more information people have the more likely they’re going to be able to avert any issues,” says Miller, who works in Manulife’s Waterloo office.
Miller was introduced to SHORE’s board through Capacity Canada’s MatchBoard program. The successful venture, which has been utilized by Manulife staff in Waterloo Region, Montreal and Toronto since 2011, matches employees from major corporations to volunteer positions on boards of charitable non-profit organizations. Besides Manulife, MatchBoard
was expanded last year to include staff at the EY (formerly Ernst & Young) office in Kitchener.
SHORE Centre, formerly known as Planned Parenthood Kitchener-Waterloo and Planned Parenthood Waterloo Region, was founded in 1972 after it grew out of the Birth Control Centre at the University of Waterloo. It provides residents with sexual health information and support.
Miller, who was a teen mom and is pro-choice, says her pairing with SHORE was ideal after she attended a Capacity Canada MatchBoard ‘bootcamp’ and received some valuable training.
“I had reached a point in my life where my son was grown up and I was able to dedicate time to an organization and make sure it was near and dear to my heart,” she says.
Miller is a strong believer in the many programs and supports the centre offers for those seeking sexual health information, as well as those at risk and Canadian newcomers.
“It seemed like the perfect fit,” she says of her involvement in the centre, which serves a wide region including Guelph and Cambridge.
According to SHORE’s 2016 annual report, more than 10,000 people accessed its Health Matters Education Program and just over 1,300 utilized its Pregnancy Options Support Program.
The centre’s success, Miller says, is something she sees every month when the board meets, where quite often a ‘success story’ is shared at the start of each meeting.
“I’m always amazed at the great work SHORE does,” says Miller, who is now board vice-president.
It’s a role she relishes and has become heavily involved in fundraising for the centre, something she has never done previously.
“I’ve learned quite a bit about fundraising that is helpful for the centre.”
As well, Miller has also managed to translate some of the skills she’s learned serving on the board into her work-life and vice versa.
“There seems to be a feeling that non-profits should treat their employees different,” she says. “But we have to be cognizant that we are still a business.”
To find out more about SHORE Centre, visit www.shortcentre.ca, email [email protected], or call (519) 743-9360.
