Volunteer with us
Everything at KMC Ottawa is made possible by people who give their time. Together we keep a peaceful space ready for anyone who comes to a class, prayer, retreat or event — and volunteering is a lovely way to help and to feel at home in the community.
If you've been coming along and you'd like to give a hand, we'd be delighted to hear from you. And if you have an idea that isn't on this list, please tell us. We take every suggestion seriously, and we'll write back.
Ways you might help
These are some of the ways people already help. None of them require you to be an expert — we'll gladly show you what to do. An hour now and then is as welcome as a regular weekly slot.
With classes and prayers
- Helping out at classes
- Preparing the meditation room for classes and events
- Helping to make daily water offerings
- Preparing occasional shrine offerings
- Grocery shopping for special ritual events
Hospitality and events
- Preparing the space for workshops and special events
- Preparing tea and snacks for classes
- Looking after the lounge and kitchen
- Preparing and offering cooked meals or treats
- Serving meals
- Sharing posters and publicity in your neighbourhood
Caring for the centre
- Watering plants, indoors and out
- Laundry (dishtowels and tablecloths)
- Dusting
- Cleaning the meditation room, bathrooms, foyer, windows or kitchen
- Shredding documents that are ready to go
Bookshop and gift shop
- Dusting
- Labelling, pricing and displaying items
- Helping with product purchases
Building skills
If painting, plumbing, electrical work or carpentry is something you know, we'd be grateful to hear from you — our building is more than 100 years old, and there is always something that could use a caring hand.
Online and behind the scenes
- Joining the advertising team (Meetup, AllEvents, Facebook, Instagram)
- Joining the newsletter team
- Watching the website for anything outdated or that needs attention
- Helping our bookkeeper with specific, well-defined tasks
- Data entry for reports
Want to help?
Write to us at [email protected] and tell us what you're drawn to, or share an idea of your own. We'll be glad to talk it through with you.
A small note about class fees: volunteering is how we care for the centre together, and it doesn't change the usual class or event fees. If a fee is ever a barrier, please write to Kelsang Khandro, our Administrative Director, at [email protected] — we'll do our best to help.