More Than a Volunteer: Megan’s Story of Connection, Inclusion, and Community
Some volunteers show up to help. Others leave a lasting impact on everyone around them. Megan is one of those people.
For the past year and a half, Megan has been an active volunteer with Volunteer Calgary, supporting everything from the Volunteer Fair and Volunteer Managers Conference to casinos and countless other events. Wherever Megan volunteers, people are happy to see her walk through the door. She brings warmth, humour, and an energy that instantly makes people feel comfortable. Megan loves to joke around, make people laugh, and create an environment where everyone feels welcome.
Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Megan for an interview to better understand why volunteerism matters so deeply to her. What struck me most during our conversation was not only Megan’s resilience, but the incredible kindness and perspective she brings to the world. Over the last year and a half, Megan has become much more than someone who volunteers with us. She feels like a friend.
Megan is 40 years old and first learned she had a disability when she was 12. Because her disability is invisible, many people around her did not fully understand the challenges she was experiencing. Growing up, this often made life lonely.
Simple childhood activities that many people take for granted — like riding a bike or easily joining in with peers — were difficult for Megan. While she grew up surrounded by her four younger siblings in the vibrant community of Dover, and remembers the neighbourhood fondly for its strong sense of community and neighbours looking out for one another, there were still moments when she felt isolated.
“Kids weren’t always welcoming,” Megan shared. “That was really hard as a kid.”
Rather than allowing those experiences to define her negatively, Megan has transformed adversity into empathy and advocacy. Her lived experience has given her a perspective that many organizations and individuals may never fully understand on their own. She uses that perspective to help others better understand the experiences of people with disabilities and neurodivergent individuals.
Megan first began volunteering when she was in high school at the Forest Lawn Care Centre. There, she spent time with seniors — taking them for walks, bringing them to appointments or haircuts, helping them get to bingo, or simply sitting down to visit and connect. Even at a young age, Megan understood something incredibly important: connection matters.
From 2010 to 2016, Megan took a break from volunteering. Like many people, she encountered barriers that made getting involved feel overwhelming. One of those barriers was obtaining a police information check. She needed one in order to volunteer but did not know how to navigate the process — a challenge we at Volunteer Calgary hear about far too often.
Then, in 2016, while visiting the library and searching for employment opportunities, Megan came across volunteer listings. She applied to several opportunities and eventually found a placement with the Kirby Centre now Unison.
That experience changed everything.
The volunteer manager at the Kirby Centre welcomed Megan with open arms — because that’s what they do. They helped her obtain her criminal record check and supported her through the onboarding process. More importantly, they saw her potential.
At the Kirby Centre, Megan supported a wide range of activities. She assisted seniors with transportation, became a friendly visitor, helped with fund development tasks, prepared thank-you cards and letters, and supported tax receipt processing. It was meaningful work that reinforced something Megan already knew: she had valuable skills to offer.
Eventually, Megan moved on from the opportunity, but volunteering had become a permanent part of her life. Through connections she built along the way and opportunities she found through VolunteerConnector, Megan continued to expand her involvement in the community.
Today, Megan proudly volunteers 365 days a year.
“There isn’t an opportunity I haven’t learned from or enjoyed,” she shared.
What stands out most about Megan is not only her commitment to volunteering, but the vision she has for a more inclusive community. Her dream role would be working as a disability advocate alongside nonprofits and community organizations, helping them understand that engaging volunteers with disabilities is not a disadvantage — it is a strength.
“Folks with disabilities are not a burden,” Megan says. “Even though they have a disability, they can help.”
Her words are powerful because they come from lived experience. Megan knows firsthand how often people with disabilities are underestimated or excluded before they are even given an opportunity.
When I asked Megan what advice she would give organizations that want to engage people with disabilities but do not know where to start, her answer was thoughtful, practical, and deeply human:
“Don’t make assumptions. Build relationships. Be adaptive and understand the skills they have, then adapt the roles to that. They might just surprise you. Everyone has limitations — it’s not just people with disabilities.”
That perspective feels especially important in a world where many organizations genuinely want to become more inclusive but are unsure how to begin. Megan reminds us that inclusion starts with listening, relationship-building, and seeing people for their strengths rather than their limitations.
And perhaps the most important thing Megan wanted everyone to know?
She has a “wicked personality.”
Her words — and honestly, she’s absolutely right.
Megan’s humour, kindness, resilience, and authenticity leave a lasting impression on everyone she meets. She creates connection wherever she goes. She reminds people to laugh. She helps others feel seen. In many ways, Megan embodies what volunteerism is truly about: community, belonging, empathy, and showing up for one another.
Listening to Megan’s story was a powerful reminder that volunteerism is not just about giving time. Sometimes, it is about creating the kind of world you wish you had experienced yourself.
And through every conversation, every event, every laugh, and every act of kindness, Megan is helping build a more compassionate and inclusive community for all of us.
