Dave Willson, Assistant Coach and Manager with Bloordale’s Minor Peewee Rep team, was recently featured in a Hydro One employee newsletter for his volunteer time he puts in with Bloordale. Hydro One also sponsors the team as part of the employee volunteer grant program.
Hydro One believes in powering the province through electricity and our people. Many employees see the value in volunteering and participating in charity initiatives to demonstrate our commitment to supporting the communities we serve.
To showcase the many ways employees can give back, Community Investment and Corporate Communications present a five-part HydroNet series highlighting the experiences of certain employees and their active involvement in Ontario.
We begin the series with the Employee Volunteer Grant Program.
Our Employee Volunteer Grant Program allows employees to apply for a grant towards a registered charity of their choice or non-profit kids’ community sports team that they volunteer with. At Hydro One, we recognize and value employees who dedicate their time outside of work hours to being active community citizens. We believe that contributing time towards organizations that provide positive environments allow Ontario communities to grow and thrive.
Project Manager David Willson is one of many employees that dedicate their time to a youth sports team. When his son, Justin, joined a house league baseball team six years ago, Willson decided to volunteer his time as a coach.
What started as a supervisory role has led to Willson becoming the current assistant coach and manager of the Bloordale Major Mosquitos, a rep level team within the Toronto Baseball Association.
In 2013, the team won the Toronto Baseball Association’s Division “A” title and also made it to the finals of the Division “A” OBA Provincial Championships. Recently, the team advanced to the semifinals in a tournament in Tecumseh.
Knowing that additional funding would greatly benefit such a busy and competitive team, Willson has applied and received a grant for his Bloordale team every year since 2010. To apply for the grant, regular employees with at least six months of service need to have volunteered at least 50 hours towards their organization of choice. Hydro One can donate up to a maximum of $2,000 to the charity or team. Willson’s grant helps support uniform costs, equipment and tournament fees required for the team.
“I was proud to have my employer recognize the importance of helping to develop team sports activities for kids,” he says.
Certainly, volunteering with his son’s baseball team has been a rewarding experience for Willson, and a greater experience for the children. Teams provide safe environments for children to make new friends, teach invaluable communication skills, and most of all – have fun in an active way. Volunteers like Willson help make those things possible.
“When starting to coach kids at a young age, you don’t need a lot of sports skill. I remember my first year of coaching T-ball was spent mostly telling the kids not to play in the dirt… As they get older, you find you slowly can teach them more fundamentals about the game itself,” Willson says.