By: Cecilia Federizon
What is better than having a special lobster dinner during Lobster Month? A lobster dinner served to a deserving non-profit service organization by a professional and polished-looking group of young volunteers, who are also from a non-profit service organization!
On June 8th, 2013, I and seven other Rovers provided assistance at the annual lobster dinner for the Kinsmen Club of New Westminster at the Queensborough Community Centre. We offered our Saturday evening to assist with lobster preparations, serve plated food and platters, wait tables, and clean up between courses. This was the first year in which the Kinsmen Club asked the 180th Pacific Scout Group to help with their annual dinner as the 1st South Vancouver Scout Group, who have helped them for the past decade. This was a new opportunity for me to volunteer some more, make some new friends, and gain some hospitality skills.
I have only recently joined Scouts Canada, so having only been in the program for two and a half months, this marks my first official volunteering event as a Rover. I joined 180th Pacific Coast Scout Group through a mutual friend, Shirvin, who told me what the Rover Crew was all about. This Rover crew sounded like it was filled with leadership and project management opportunities – exactly what I was looking to learn! I was excited to start and wanted to get involved right away. However, it was a bit difficult as I didn’t know many people in the group which made me more hesitant to get involved. Gladly, I stepped out of my comfort zone and signed up to help out with the Kinsmen dinner.
During that night, the Rovers and I who had volunteered for the event assisted by serving five courses to 100 guests. Preparing all these dishes in a constrained amount of time and bringing them to 100 people was done in a faster pace than I would have ever imagined. The eight of us were constantly on our toes ready to do the next job. Whether it was time to get the food out, or it was time to bring all the dirty plates back in, we were always diligent in getting the job done and done correctly. Experiencing the dinner rush was definitely the most challenging experience that night, especially since I’ve never worked in a restaurant before!
Overall, although we were kept busy for the majority of the time, I was glad I was able to make some new friends. I made more friends within the Rover crew during this event than I had over the past 2 and a half months. By knowing more people in the crew, I am more willing to put myself out there and get involved with events for Scouts. Working together as a team is a great challenge as it can become hectic with a lot of people, but to work with a group of volunteers that I have only recently met made me more nervous. Although I was weary in the beginning by working with people I have rarely spoken to, I quickly realized that my anxiousness was not necessary. It showed me the numerous opportunities that are waiting for me in the Rover Crew and how open everyone is to new people. The Rover Crew made me realize their true passion for excellence within the community and within ourselves. Therefore, by volunteering that evening, I had an extremely enjoyable experience that makes me believe that I’ve made the right choice in joining the Rover crew and embarking on a new journey in my life.