Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) runs on volunteers. Right from the President of the Chamber to the young committee member who helps at the reception desk of the chamber’s event, the Chamber depends entirely on the services of volunteers. It was, therefore, wholly appropriate that the Chamber felicitated its volunteers at the Annual Volunteer Appreciation Night on July 29th 2015. All the volunteers were awarded Certificates of Appreciation by the President of the Chamber Mr. Sanjay Makkar. A majority of the new board members participated in the program at ICCC headquarters in Toronto. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Makkar, said, “Volunteering is a big tradition in Canada, and volunteers are the backbone of ICCC; we at the Chamber have adopted it since the Chamber’s inception in 1977.”

The ICCC is privileged to have always had unstinting support of a legion of volunteers who have helped accomplish a large part of the Chamber’s mandate.  In 2014-15, ICCC organised over 80 events between July 2014 and June 2015, and the volunteers played a pivotal role in making these events successful. Recalling some of these events at the felicitation program, Sanjay Makkar said, “The Chamber is proud of you, proud of your effort, proud of your support. If it were not for volunteers, our Chamber wouldn’t be able to do anything besides a few programs in a year. That we do so many programs every year is thanks to volunteers like you.”

Emphasizing the contribution of volunteerism to an individual’s development, Makkar noted, “Volunteering offers incredible opportunities and priceless professional development which can enhance business and careers. It provides a sense of fulfillment and a perfect platform for those with leadership potential. By working with others, sharing experiences and identifying best practices, one starts to identify key qualities in oneself, and begins to develop those qualities.”

Mr. Jagdish Bajaj, Vice President, while introducing the event said that the contribution of volunteerism to the Canadian economy was in the range of $38 billion. Quoting statistical survey, Bajaj said that among the many reasons for people to enthusiastically volunteer was to build a network, improve skills and knowledge.

Mr. Bajaj said “The Chamber depends upon volunteer support for all of its marquee events such as the Annual Awards and Gala Night, the Holiday Dinner and Dance, the Annual Charity Golf Classic. The volunteer appreciation dinner was a small measure of thanking all volunteers for their dedication and involvement.” He also added that dedicating time and energy leads to both social and professional gains. These rewards include recognition of skills and expertise which ultimately result in positions of responsibility within the Chamber.

Mr. Pathik Baxi, Vice President & Corporate Secretary ICCC, Mr. Arun Srivastava, Vice President ICCC, Kanwar Dhanjal, Director ICCC, Ajay Tandon, Director ICCC, Pappur Shankar, Director ICCC were also present.