09/04/2026
Unison at Kerby Centre Volunteer Spotlight: September 2026
Georgette Blair – The Garden Studio Volunteer
Georgette Blair has volunteered in more places than she can easily list. She's what you might call a serial volunteer, and she's been at it long enough to know exactly why she keeps going back.
It started years ago, in her work with people with disabilities. She would bring the people she supported out to volunteer events so they'd be seen and known in their own community, talking with people, keeping up with what was going on, and finding a sense of purpose in the work. That reasoning hasn't changed for her since. Volunteering is still about connecting people to the community around them.
She's also learned to look for roles that line up with what she already loves: history, cooking, and gardening. So when the Garden Studio came along, it was an easy decision. Georgette is an avid gardener, and she read about the new project in the Unison News while it was still getting off the ground. She interviewed, signed up, and has been part of it since the doors opened in early 2026.
She enjoys the work itself, but she'll tell you the people are the best part. The other volunteers are a fascinating group, she says, and she likes talking with the customers who come through, telling them what the Garden Studio is for, how it supports our Thrive program, and what other opportunities are available at Unison.
Working with seniors matters to her in particular. She feels there's a lot to learn from the wisdom seniors carry, and she's seen how easily they can end up isolated or forgotten. Bringing people out of that is part of the point. She's a senior herself, and she says so with a laugh.
For anyone sitting on the fence about volunteering, her advice is simple: ease into it and give it a try. You don't have to commit to everything at once.
What keeps her coming back is "the feeling of being part of something big", a place like Kerby Centre that draws people in from every corner of the city and gives them somewhere to land.
