Sandy is an independent Project Management Consultant presently working at a major Canadian Financial Institution. She is also a York University graduate with an Honors BA in Psychology. Sandy has been a volunteer and key organizer with the Guru Gobind Singh Children’s Foundation since 1993 and served as one of their first Board of Directors. Sandy presently functions as Director & Board Secretary for Seva and focuses on overseeing various governance-related accountabilities for the group.
In addition to the above-mentioned role Sandy has been a key player in supporting numerous initiatives that have been hosted by Seva thus far. She has been a key organizer for the Annual Radiothons, Nagar Kirtans, Annual Summer Gala’s, and Food Drives that have been held by Seva food bank.
What has been the greatest growth opportunity that Seva has provided you?
Sandy: The greatest growth opportunity came in the form of being able to directly help the community and being an active and engaged volunteer/member of the Seva organization. This meant being able to see the value add and rewards of helping someone first hand – rather than making a donation and hoping that it gets to those that need it the most. This aspect of Seva and the client engagement it has provided me has been the most rewarding aspect, in comparison to other similar organizations that I have been a part of in the past.
What has been the greatest stride you have seen Seva make since you have been a part of it?
Sandy: The awareness behind Seva’s mandate and the brand awareness that has taken place over the last few years has been an amazing transformation to watch. Along with this has come the ability to be able to reach out to more people, who need support, and the great feeling in being able to provide it. Having two core locations and being able to serve a larger range of community has been a great stride for an organization that has only been in place for about 6 years.
What is one of the challenges that you are consistently faced with?
Sandy: Like other non-profit organizations, fundraising is always a challenge and being able to reach beyond the immediate community that we serve is always a challenge. The two are closely tied together as one drives the other. All our volunteers and members have one goal; to help the community and the natural drive is to help more people in the next year than we did in the past year. But fundraising becomes a key element in driving the expansion to help a larger community.
What is your future vision for Seva in the coming years?
Sandy: It would be amazing to see Seva food bank meet all our client needs including food and become a ‘Seva Centre’. A safe space where members of the community can come to obtain support for things like job searching, learning new skills, community kitchen, and other proactive services that would add greater value to our community.
Final Thoughts…
Sandy: I am grateful for the opportunity that Seva has provided me and in turn would like to thank the community for the support it has provided Seva. The initiatives and the goals set out by Seva have been received with such warmth and encouragement – it really is a driver to keep moving forward.