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June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate the diversity, resilience, and contributions of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. It is also an opportunity to learn, connect, and support organizations that are helping create more inclusive communities across Calgary and beyond.

Whether you're looking to attend an event, connect with community, learn more about Pride history, or access support services, we've gathered a selection of resources to help you get involved throughout the month.

Featured Events

Queer Prom at The Confluence

June 6, 2026 | 7:00 PM–11:00 PM

Hosted at The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland, Queer Prom offers an inclusive and welcoming space for community members aged 16+ to celebrate Pride through music, drag performances, dancing, and connection.

Learn More →

Airdrie Pride Festival

June 20, 2026 | 10:30 AM–4:00 PM

Held at Nose Creek Park, the Airdrie Pride Festival is a free, family-friendly celebration featuring a solidarity walk, flag raising ceremony, performances, community organizations, and food vendors.

Learn More →

Looking for More Events?

Pride Month is filled with opportunities to celebrate, connect, and learn. For additional events happening throughout Calgary and surrounding communities, explore event roundups from Daily Hive Calgary and Queer Calgary.

View Calgary Pride Event Roundup →

Explore Community Event Listings →

Local Organizations and Supports

Calgary Outlink

Calgary Outlink is Calgary's Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity, providing programs, resources, education, and opportunities for community connection for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and allies.

Learn More →

Skipping Stone

Skipping Stone supports Two-Spirit, trans, and gender-diverse youth, adults, and families through affirming programs, advocacy, and community services.

Learn More →

Centre for Sexuality

The Centre for Sexuality offers education, counselling, and programs designed to support, empower, and connect 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and communities.

Learn More →

LUNA Child and Youth Advocacy Centre

LUNA provides mental health resources and supports for LGBTQIA2S+ children, youth, and families.

Learn More →

National and Provincial Resources

Alberta 2SLGBTQIA+ Resource Hub

A collection of provincial resources, information, and supports for 2SLGBTQIA+ Albertans.

Learn More →

Egale Canada

Egale is Canada's leading organization for 2SLGBTQI people and issues, advancing equality, human rights, education, and inclusion.

Learn More →

pflag Canada

pflag Canada provides peer support, education, and advocacy for individuals, parents, families, and allies.

Learn More →

The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project offers resources, education, and crisis support focused on LGBTQ+ young people.

Learn More →

Learn About Pride History

Pride Month is also an opportunity to learn about the advocacy, activism, and community leadership that have shaped progress toward greater inclusion and equality.

Pride in Canada

Explore key moments in Canada's Pride movement and the ongoing efforts to build a more equitable society.

Learn More →

Pride in Calgary

Learn about the history of Pride in Calgary and the individuals and organizations that have helped shape the local movement.

Learn More →

Building Inclusive Communities Together

At Volunteer Calgary, we believe strong communities are built when everyone feels welcomed, valued, and able to participate fully.

This Pride Month, we encourage our community to celebrate, learn, support local organizations, and engage with the many events and resources available throughout June. Whether you're attending an event, exploring a new resource, volunteering, or simply taking time to learn, every step helps strengthen a more inclusive community for all.

Capacity Canada is excited to announce a new partnership with Volunteer Calgary to bring the Open Hearth project to Calgary, Alberta.

Building on the recent expansion of Open Hearth into Newfoundland & Labrador, this partnership marks another milestone in growing the initiative’s reach across Canada. Through Open Hearth, Capacity Canada is working alongside community partners to support underrepresented women and non-binary individuals in Nonprofit leadership and decision-making roles.

Together, Capacity Canada and Volunteer Calgary will deliver mentorship and organizational culture-change initiatives that strengthen belonging, connection, and inclusive leadership across the Nonprofit sector.

Open Hearth supports Nonprofit organizations and emerging leaders through:

· A mentorship network uplifting underrepresented women and non-binary individuals

· A culture-change framework that helps Nonprofit organizations foster workplaces rooted in belonging, inclusion, and equitable leadership practices

“We’re thrilled to partner with Volunteer Connector Calgary to bring Open Hearth to Calgary and surrounding communities,” said Cathy Brothers, CEO of Capacity Canada. “As Open Hearth continues to grow across the country, partnerships like this are critical to ensuring the initiative is shaped by local communities, relationships, and sector realities. We look forward to working alongside Volunteer Calgary as we continue building spaces where more people can lead and thrive.”

“At Volunteer Calgary, we believe that building equitable systems requires both national vision and local relationships, and this partnership with Capacity Canada brings both together. It strengthens what we're already leading locally: building pathways for people who have historically been excluded from leadership spaces in our sector. We're honoured to bring this initiative to our community and connect it with the equity-centred work we're doing here.” Milton Ortega, Executive Director of Volunteer Calgary.

Open Hearth is a 33-month project running from July 2024 to March 2027. The initiative builds on concepts co-created with women from underrepresented communities during the 2023 Makeover Project, ensuring the work reflects lived experience, community insight, and sector realities.

Following a successful pilot in Waterloo Region and expansion into Newfoundland & Labrador, Calgary marks another important step in growing Open Hearth’s national impact and strengthening equitable leadership across Canada’s nonprofit sector.

Click here to learn more about Open Hearth

An information session will be held on June 2, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM MST.

Register for the Information Session

For more information, contact:

· Katie Dodd, Director of Programs and Strategy, Volunteer Calgary, katie@volunteerconnector.org

April 28, 2026 – VolunteerConnector today announces that it has been accredited under Imagine Canada Standards. With this achievement, we become part of a network of nonprofit and charitable organizations dedicated to continuous improvement, transparency, operational excellence and good governance.

The Imagine Canada Standards leverage the wisdom and expertise of the nonprofit sector in key areas such as board governance, financial accountability and transparency, fundraising, human resources, and volunteer involvement. They support organizations in strengthening their practices and advancing to the next level by building strong governance and operations - laying the foundation for lasting excellence, resilience, and impact.

“This reaccreditation comes at a pivotal moment as we reimagine our role both locally and nationally. Volunteer Calgary serves as a backbone organization for Calgary's nonprofit sector, and we also operate VolunteerConnector, our digital platform that serves 6,400+ organizations and 96,000+ volunteers with profiles, and has enabled 137,000+ volunteer-to-organization connections across 389 communities in Canada, in partnership with 45 regional partners. This dual mandate (local backbone and national digital infrastructure) makes us pioneers in civic infrastructure. Reaccreditation affirms that as we innovate and expand, we remain grounded in the governance, transparency, and accountability that make trust possible. We are building something new while honouring 70 years of history, and Imagine Canada's Standards gave us a framework to ensure we grow with integrity,” says Milton Ortega, Executive Director of Volunteer Connector.

"On the journey toward great governance, organizations pursue accreditation as a public testament to their commitment to the highest standards of transparency and accountability. We offer our sincere congratulations to the newly accredited and re-accredited organizations, key players in our Standards network of 285 organizations nationwide." said Bruce MacDonald, President and CEO of Imagine Canada. "By achieving accreditation, these organizations have solidified themselves as leaders in integrity, efficiency, and transparency in the nonprofit sector."

About the Standards

Since 2012,  Imagine Canada Standards serve as the only comprehensive guidelines created by the sector, for the sector, to address key areas of governance and operations: board governance, financial accountability and transparency, fundraising, human resources, and volunteer engagement. These Standards are designed to promote best practices and transparency within charities and nonprofits seeking to continuously improve. The goal is to foster resilience and bolster public confidence in both individual organizations and the sector overall. 

The accreditation process involves meeting 73 rigorous standards spanning financial management and accountability, fundraising, board governance, human resources, and volunteer engagement. The accreditation process is  adaptable for organizations of all sizes due to a three-tiered structure allowing nonprofits and charities to get accredited at any level based on their needs. Standards oversight is ensured by the Standards Council, an independent group of sector representatives responsible for maintaining and evolving the standards.

Peer-review Process and Compliance

Our policies and procedures in the five areas of compliance were evaluated by a group of independent reviewers from the sector and were found to be compliant with the Standards. Accredited organizations are required to complete full reaccreditation on a five-year basis. Compliance and continuous improvement during the accreditation period are supported through a reporting process that requires organizations to submit evidence demonstrating selected standards are being met.

"When funders, partners, and community members see the Imagine Canada Trustmark, they know their goodwill is in good hands. Volunteer Calgary plays a dual role that few organizations occupy: we serve as a backbone organization, strengthening Calgary's nonprofit sector through local initiatives, while also operating VolunteerConnector, our digital platform connecting volunteers and organizations across Canada. For an organization building civic infrastructure at this scale, trust is everything. Reaccreditation signals that we hold ourselves to the same high standards we encourage throughout the sector, and that we're positioned to serve our community for the next 70 years," says Milton Ortega, Executive Director of Volunteer Connector.

About Volunteer Connector and Volunteer Calgary

Volunteer Calgary is a backbone organization supporting the nonprofit and voluntary sector in Calgary through capacity building, volunteer engagement, and sector collaboration. For over 70 years, we have worked to strengthen community impact by connecting people, organizations, and opportunities to volunteer.

VolunteerConnector, powered by Volunteer Calgary in partnership with regional collaborators across Canada, is a national digital volunteer engagement platform. It supports more than 6,400 organizations and 96,000 volunteers, and has facilitated over 137,000 volunteer-to-organization connections across 389 communities. Together, our local and national work strengthens civic participation and builds resilient, connected communities across Canada.

For further information, contact: Mariam Raji, Communications and Marketing, Volunteer Calgary / VolunteerConnector, mariam@volunteerconnector.org

National Volunteer Week is a time to recognize and celebrate the people who make a difference every day through volunteering.

We’re excited to bring together a series of events that highlight the impact of volunteers and create opportunities to connect and learn.

Whether you’re a long-time volunteer or just getting started, there’s something for everyone.

👉 Explore the full schedule and learn more on our National Volunteer Week page.

At VolunteerConnector, we continue to celebrate people who dedicate their time and expertise to making a difference. Marcos Torres began volunteering with Volunteer Connector when Milton, the Executive Director, invited him to help make sense of the organization’s extensive data. That spark of curiosity and problem-solving quickly grew into a commitment to improving the organization’s systems, operations, and data quality.

Marcos is passionate about helping organizations use data effectively so they can make informed decisions and serve more people. He volunteers 5–6 hours each week, bringing his skills as both a data analyst and software architect. While he initially focused on analyzing Volunteer Connector’s data, he expanded his role to evaluate the system structure and identify the root causes of data quality issues, showing how skill-based volunteering can create a meaningful, long-term impact.

One memorable moment for Marcos was sharing insights with partner organizations to help them understand volunteer applications and participant responses. It highlighted how technical expertise can directly support the wider volunteer community.

Through his volunteer work, Marcos has built strong connections with the Volunteer Connector team and values the culture of collaboration, awareness, and mutual support. Despite the challenges of balancing a fully remote role, he is motivated by the opportunity to lay a solid foundation for the organization’s future and help it operate more efficiently.

Marcos continues to inspire through his dedication, problem-solving skills, and commitment to community impact. He hopes his work shows that volunteering isn’t just about giving time, it’s also about applying your talents to help others succeed.

This week’s guest post is by Betsy Stern, who reflects on growing up in a family where volunteering was a way of life and how those early experiences shaped her lifelong commitment to service, community, and human connection.

I've Always Volunteered.

Lying flat on the bed after major back surgery, my mother was making calls on behalf of candidates for our upcoming election. I was about seven years old at the time. Once she was up on her feet again, she took me along with her to Planned Parenthood, where she was in charge of all of the volunteers for our county. I sat at a table and helped make posters. Sometimes I date-stamped pills. After those visits, we would go to the League of Women Voters Office, where my mother and grandmother volunteered, and I alongside them.

In the midst of all of this volunteer activity, I went off with my dad to be part of the productions in the volunteer-based community theatre that he had founded with his friends. Alongside this, my mother and her friends volunteered at our local university as tour guides. I followed along and ended up working as a student tour guide on campus as soon as I enrolled at UC Berkeley. Nearby campus, my grandmother volunteered with a group that helped to settle immigrants, as she was one herself. 

It was my godmother’s volunteerism in music that got me started performing solo before I was a teenager, when I would go into nursing homes to play for the residents. This led to a long career as a professional musician. There were even more volunteer outings and opportunities all the time I was growing up, as well as after. One of my more recent adventures was joining a group to glean fruit from local orchards to donate to food banks. 

It was expected in the circle in which I grew up that we would give back to our community. It feels good to volunteer, to share with others something that helps them and helps us too. It creates a human connection. Volunteering is key to building a strong community.

Your organization plays an important role in shaping Calgary’s nonprofit and volunteer landscape. To strengthen equitable volunteer practices across the sector, we invite you to complete a short survey (7–10 min) to help inform The Equity Commons.

The Equity Commons, led by Volunteer Calgary, is a community-led space that supports volunteer managers and organizations in building equitable, inclusive, and belonging-centered volunteer practices. It focuses on practical ways to recruit, support, and engage volunteers so they feel welcomed, valued, and connected.

Developed with nonprofit organizations and community partners, The Equity Commons supports a Belonging-First model grounded in local experiences and real-world practice. It provides guidance in establishing equitable volunteer recruitment that aligns volunteer skills with your organization's needs.

Why Participate
We invite you to complete a short survey to help shape this work. Your feedback will inform tools, learning opportunities, and support that respond to the realities volunteer managers face, strengthening equitable volunteer engagement across the sector.

Confidentiality
The survey results will be integrated into the upcoming Equity Commons program design and will also be used for evaluation purposes.

Please complete the survey by February 25th, 2026.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/?sm=abFL5ZzMy67rUg2e_2FsYLGCdZjvNixBxPebP2agFn5_2FM_3D 

Thank you for sharing your perspective and for the important work you do in your community.

This week’s guest post is by Raissanatou Mairou, who shares how planting trees has shaped their understanding of community, nature, and the lasting impact of small, meaningful actions.

Whenever I think about why I love planting trees, my mind always goes back to that one summer in 2013 during my trip to visit my uncle and aunt in another city. I used to play outside with my cousins every day, and one afternoon we ran into one of their neighbors who was heading to her farm to cultivate maize and other crops. She handed each of us a few grains to plant. I got maize, while three of my cousins received groundnut seeds. 

We rushed home immediately, as we were excited to start. I had no experience, so my older cousins showed me how to dig the soil in little sections, place the grains gently inside, and water them. It was simple, but to me it was memorable. Waiting for the plants to germinate was one of the most exciting experiences of my childhood, and I’m still grateful it happened. Watching those tiny seeds turn into living, growing plants made me appreciate the beauty and complexity of life on a deeper level.

As I grew older, that memory stayed with me. And when I learned that my faith considers planting trees a form of ongoing charity, everything made even more sense. Islam teaches that planting benefits not only people but every creature that interacts with that tree; birds that nest in it, animals that eat from it, insects that find shelter, and anyone who rests under its shade during heat, cold, or rain. The list of benefits is endless, and I’ve always found that incredibly beautiful. As someone who has always loved nature, discovering that my beliefs aligned with something so meaningful made me even more passionate about planting whenever I have the chance. 

I still get happy and excited imagining the future: a squirrel climbing the tree I planted, a bird resting on its branches, or a stranger finding shade beneath it on a hot day. That thought alone motivates me again and again. 

I would encourage anyone to try planting at least once, especially with other people. It is really fun and seeing how a small grain grows into something so big is wonderful on its own, but knowing that such a simple action can carry so much lasting good makes it even more powerful. To me, that’s why planting a tree will always feel like the purest form of community service.

This week’s guest post is by Jonathas Melo’o, who shares his experience writing letters to children in Uganda and the lessons he learned about empathy, connection, and the transformative power of volunteering.

"Writing letters to children in Uganda has profoundly transformed how I understand volunteering, solidarity, and even my own role in the world. When I began this experience, I imagined the greatest impact would be on the recipient: the child who would receive a message of affection, encouragement, and hope from someone so far away. However, throughout the process, I realized that I too was being transformed with each letter written, each story shared, and each reflection provoked by the simplicity and strength of those lives.

In the beginning, I tried to carefully choose each word, worried about writing "correctly," as if there were a specific formula to offer comfort and encouragement. Over time, however, I realized that the true value of the letter lay not in the perfection of the text, but in the authenticity of the gesture. The children responded with drawings, small accounts of daily life, dreams, fears, and achievements. This showed me that volunteering doesn't need to be grand to be meaningful—it just needs to be human.

By connecting with those realities so different from my own, I learned about resilience. I realized that, even in the face of profound challenges, many of those young people carried a vibrant hope, a joy that..." It didn't depend on what they possessed, but on who they were. This realization made me reevaluate my own priorities and invited me to see my life with more gratitude and purpose.

Writing these letters also broadened my understanding of social responsibility. I understood that volunteering is not a one-sided movement where the giver is in a superior position. On the contrary: it is a profound exchange, in which everyone grows. By sharing stories and receiving stories in return, I realized that the act of volunteering is not about "saving" anyone, but about building bridges — bridges of empathy, respect, and mutual learning.
The greatest personal growth came precisely from this realization. Today, I see volunteering as a continuous journey of self-discovery. Writing for the children of Uganda taught me to look at the world with more sensitivity, to recognize the power of human encounters, and to understand that true transformation happens in the details: in a word of support, in a sincere gesture, in a bond that transcends borders.

This experience changed not only how I see volunteering, but also who I am — and that is why, when I... "By applying to write for this blog, I carry with me the certainty that words have power. And that, when used to connect people, they become seeds of change."
 

This week’s guest post is by Dimnobi Eleh, who shares his experience volunteering at a summer chess club and the lessons he learned about patience, growth, and connecting with others.

Volunteering at my summer chess club taught me something quiet but big. Chess has always been part of my life. I grew up playing, and I even won a tournament back in Nigeria. This summer, I decided to give back by helping run the Oakville chess club, twhere I taught basics, organized events, and made sure new players felt welcome.

My role was simple on paper. I set up boards, showed kids how the pieces move, and sat with beginners while they learned to think a couple moves ahead. In practice, it was a lot noisier, messier, and far more rewarding than I expected. The room smelled like sweat and pizza boxes after tournaments. Little hands bumped pieces off the board. Players argued about whether a pawn could sneak past a rook. All of it felt flawed, but alive.

What surprised me most was how quickly small wins changed people. One boy came every week and lost almost every game. He would stare at the board like it was a puzzle with missing pieces. After a few sessions, he started seeing patterns. The week he finally won against another child, he did not jump. He simply looked stunned, then smiled slowly as if he had discovered something inside himself. He hugged the king with his palm before looking at me and whispering, "I finally did it". That moment hit me harder than any trophy I have.

I also learned to be patient and to explain things in different ways. Some players needed a diagram. Others needed a story about the pieces. I learned to celebrate small improvements and to remind kids that losing is part of learning, not a verdict on who they are or how good they were at the game.

Volunteering at the chess club was not a grand project. It was afternoons of repetition, jokes about blunders, and tiny victories that added up. But those afternoons did something important. They helped people feel capable and connected, and they reminded me why sharing something you love with others is important.