Volunteer Opportunities

PEGAH FIROUZEH

Pegah Firouzeh is a committed volunteer with the Cerebral Palsy Association in Alberta since 2017. Originally from Iran, Ms. Firouzeh enthusiastically approached the CPAA to get involved upon arriving to Canada. She completed her Bachelor of Science Degree in Orthotics and Prosthetics; following clinical work, she transitioned her studies to the Netherlands while completing her MSc. – Human Movement Sciences.

In May 2017, Pegah relocated to Canada to initiate her doctorate program in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Alberta. Since her research focuses on motor skills of children with Cerebral Palsy, she is honored to be a volunteer with the CPAA, particularly working with our little ones in our Children’s Art program Scribbles & Giggles. Pegah also participates in fundraising initiatives, and represents CPAA as a Community Ambassador. Aside from her volunteer work and studies, Ms. Firouzeh is a member in Students for Life Without Limits – a University of Alberta based club aimed at increasing awareness for CPAA campus wide.

She is passionate to meet children and families through CPAA, to learn about their life and experiences with Cerebral Palsy. While she believes that the programs offered by CPAA positively impact the lives of persons affected by cerebral palsy and other disabilities, she wants to contribute. Thank you, Pegah!

NAVDEEP SANGHERA

Navdeep Sanghera is a passionate, dedicated volunteer with the Cerebral Palsy Association in Alberta (CPAA) for the past 8 months. She is completing her final semester of a Bachelor of Sciences degree. She has future aspirations to work in rehabilitation medicine, specifically with individuals whom have disabilities.

Her volunteer experience with the ComputAbilities program at the CPAA has exceeded well beyond her expectations. Throughout her time, she has been providing support to individuals familiarizing them with technology including iPads. While witnessing the progress of many of the clients, she has stated “It has not only been beneficial for the clients – observing their growth has provided me with further motivation and determination to continue working with individuals with special needs.”

Although her role as a volunteer includes a ‘teacher-like’ figure for the clients, she cherishes the relationships formed with the staff and clients at CPAA. On a personal level, she is extremely thankful for the opportunity to volunteer with a well-established and supportive association. Thank you, Navdeep!

AVNEET SANGHERA

Since August 2017, Avneet Sanghera has been actively dedicating her time volunteering with the Cerebral Palsy Association of Alberta’s ComputAbility Program. Some of her responsibilities involve instructing clients with computer basics, assisting participants to navigate the iPad, and facilitating educational games to enhance their memory & logic.

She receives much satisfaction observing the individual progression made by each client, the positive impact it has on their self-esteem thus motivating them to continue developing their technological skills. “Not only do I help teach the clients, but also in turn, I have gained a substantial amount of knowledge from them as well”. Ms. Sanghera is truly an inspirational asset to the CPAA volunteer team. Thank you, Avneet!

MUSAB SAYED

Musab has been volunteering with CPAA since December as Front Desk volunteer. While at CPAA, he has really enjoyed troubleshooting computer problems and finding solutions. He is married and has a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. Musab currently works full time in retail management at London Drugs.

He is passionate about improving the world we live in – particularly environmentally and socially. Musab also enjoys reading (a lot), TV, and horse back riding. Recently, Musab and his wife have been working to launch her art business to help support families in Pakistan. Thank you, Musab!

BRYCE HOY

Since 2017, Bryce Hoy has devoted her Saturday afternoons volunteering in our Dance Without Limits program, providing one-on-one support to our little clients with disabilities. She has also shared her passion for music, supporting our Tempo Gusto program.

Aside from volunteering, Ms. Hoy is a member in Students for Life Without Limits – a U of A based student club focused on creating awareness for the Cerebral Palsy Association in Alberta campus wide. Involvement in these 3 initiatives has allowed her to connect with the community, work with like-minded volunteers, and learn from the participants in CPAA’s various programs.

While Ms. Hoy continues her volunteerism with the CPAA, she is studiously completing her Bachelor of Arts Honours Psychology program with aspirations of applying to the University of Alberta’s Masters in Counselling Psychology for Fall 2019. Thank you, Bryce!

ALLISON GAPKA & MATTHEW JANZEN

Allison loves to volunteer. She loves to keep busy and help people. Her favourite interest is dogs, any dog… LOL. Someday she wants to work at Petland. She says that CPAA is a very nice site and she enjoys volunteering here with Jillian. She loves to work in the back and do shredding. She is thankful for this opportunity.

Matthew is a happy, fun loving, twenty-four year old who loves to help others. Matthew loves to listen to his many play lists while singing and dancing along. That, and his ability to get around computers, (including all electronics) are his favourite hobbies. He spends hours in his home office downloading, uploading, researching and finding that perfect picture to print and show-off to his roommates. He was previously a member of the Special Olympic swim team for several years and won a gold medal in the Provincial summer games. Thank you, Allison & Matthew!

LAUREN NG

Lauren absolutely loves swimming, and has been doing so for her entire life. Along with swimming, she plays a lot of volleyball and ball hockey in her spare time. Lauren is currently studying biology at the University of Calgary, conveniently located right across the street from the pool!

She is still unsure of what she’d like to do after school, but is very passionate about helping people. One of Lauren’s favourite memories from volunteering at the pool was when she actually had to teach the class herself! Her favourite parts of swimming class are the noodle races and, of course, free time. Swimming with the CPAA has really made Lauren appreciate all of the hard work that the association does. She says “without the swimming program, I never would have met all of my new, awesome little friends!!” Thank you, Lauren!