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Today, December 5, marks International Volunteer Day, an annual opportunity to highlight the contributions that volunteers across the globe are making each and every day.
 

Martha Gutierrez knows the importance of the Canadian Red Cross’ Mobile Food Bank, better than almost anyone. Seventeen years ago, Martha and her family were refugees to Canada. She, her two young children and her husband fled their home in Mexico to seek safety after political turbulence.

Last month, we told the story of Muggins, the famous Canadian Red Cross fundraising dog from Victoria, British Columbia.
During the First World War, he raised more than $21,000 (about $400,000 now), just trotting around town alone with two donation boxes on his back. He often visited ferries and freightliners arriving in Victoria, and grew so famous that overseas visitors would ask for the little white Spitz dog. When Muggins eventually died in 1920, his body was preserved by a professional taxidermist, and that is where the story seemed to end last time. But now we’ve uncovered more clues!

While the memories of childhood can be vague, this song (My Body Is Nobody's Body But Mine) still makes my ears perk up. It may ring familiar with my fellow children of the 80s. For the uninitiated, the song was part of a sexual abuse prevention program aimed at children.

As winter approaches, along with the annual threat of snow storms and extended power outages, the Canadian Red Cross is ready to help, just as they did recently when thousands of Calgarians were plunged into darkness.

During wartime, the Canadian Red Cross provided comfort, support and supplies to soldiers overseas, as well as to the many people left at home. One of the most beloved wartime stories involves a very special Red Cross volunteer, recruited to help at the Victoria, B.C. office. His name was Muggins. He stood about 12 inches high, and was, by all accounts, quite adorable.

Jean and Arthur Mosher's experience with Meals on Wheels has come full circle. Both were volunteers over 25 years ago when the Red Cross took over operating the program from a church in the Etobicoke community where Jean and Arthur lived. 

Showcasing the strength and spirit of First Nation communities in Northern Ontario, Wisdom of the North unveils during Scotiabank’s Nuit Blanche, which runs from sunset Saturday, Oct. 4, to sunrise Sunday in Toronto.