Blessing the community
Robert MacLeod recognized for two decades of volunteering in Tusket
Robert MacLeod is certainly busy.
He has a full-time job, a family and has gone back to school- all while volunteering as a firefighter, with the Yarmouth and Area Chamber of Commerce, and running a charity silent auction for the IWK Hospital in Halifax.
Any one of those things might seem like a schedule filling occupation, but MacLeod has found a way to devote his time over nearly two decades to these - and even more - causes dear to his heart in his Tusket area.
The COVID-19 pandemic may have changed the way MacLeod and others like him volunteer, but it certainly did not slow down his efforts.
“The best thing a person can donate is their time,” he says.
HOW IT ALL STARTED
MacLeod got his first taste of volunteering when he led a 30-hour famine program in high school. He and fellow students fasted for 30 hours to raise awareness and money for those in need.
But MacLeod's drive to give back started even earlier, as his parents encouraged him to live a charitable life as he grew up in their home near Windsor.
“It's part of growing up in a Nova Scotia environment, I think. Plus my parents instilled that in me: if you can help somebody, do it,” he says.
When MacLeod began working for financial institutions, he joined the Yarmouth and Area Chamber of Commerce as his then financial institution's representative and again, more than a decade later, after he'd joined the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC).
MacLeod is now a senior commercial account manager with RBC and, while having to pull back for a short time during his return to Acadia University to finish his studies, has treasured his volunteer time with the chamber, which has seen him serve as board member and vicepresident.
“Supporting local businesses coincides with my RBC role. To be part of ensuring Southwest Nova is successful has been great,” he says.
MacLeod has also continued the silent auction fundraiser he founded years ago for the IWK hospital. With a long list of business contacts, MacLeod has acquired items to sell at the auction each year and has so far raised more than $74,000 for the IWK.
“This event raises funds for an absolutely wonderful organization that supports all Maritimers. Every year it's kept growing and growing – it's definitely got traction,” he says.
SMALL ACTS HELP IN BIG WAYS
MacLeod's volunteerism has also included firefighting, something he'd always wanted to do while growing up along the edge of the Annapolis Valley.
When he moved to Tusket from Saskatoon nearly two decades ago, he joined his local volunteer branch immediately and has remained involved with the Eel Brook and District Fire Department, where he serves both as a firefighter and treasurer.
He's helped raise funds for the construction of a new fire hall, while continuing to volunteer for different causes like Feed Nova Scotia, the Yarmouth Hospital Foundation WE CARE Radiothon, and assisting in community cleanups.
MacLeod was the Municipality of Argyle recipient of the 2020 Volunteer Award from the province. He says the recognition, while not expected, was an honour.
“Recognition is not why volunteers do what we do, but it's very nice when people notice that you're doing something good,” he says.
One of the secrets to his finding the time to volunteer is his support system at home, which consists of his wife Honour and the couple's daughter, Ava, who MacLeod says is already starting to learn why it's good to give back.
“It's a warm and fuzzy feeling inside to know you've done something good to help others. It's something I've started instilling in Ava, as well – showing her that giving back is a good thing, how a small action can help out others in a big way,” says MacLeod.
“Donating your time costs nothing, and it can really truly impact somebody that really needs it.”