Kids Help Phone "Walk So Kids Can Talk": Alumni Kelly Tilsley in Action!

What we said: Let's go into the archives and find stories of LV alumni who are doing really cool things in the community. Then we can tell their stories, and help other alumni get connected to help out!

What happened next: We got an email from Kelly Tilsley (LV '08) the very next week. Kelly has been Chair of the Kids Help Phone "Walk so Kids Can Talk" for the past several years, and wants to let alumni know about the event. This is a great example of how the leadership skills that are gained through the Community Leadership Development Program really do have an impact on the community! Kelly actually got involved in the Kids Help Phone work because of an introduction from one of his 2008 cohort colleagues. Let's let him tell the story in his own words:

Hello Friends and Fellow Alumni.  A little about me:

My Name is Kelly Tilsley and I am a Leadership Victoria Graduate.  I have been volunteering in various ways for various charities and organizations, some of which were Greater Victoria Police Victim Services for several years as well as Restorative Justice and Victoria Emergency Management Agency to name a few.

My current volunteer effort is with “Kids Help Phone” where I started out as a volunteer helping out at one of their “Walk So Kids Can Talk” events in 2008 with another fellow Leadership cohort.  

I again volunteered the next year 2009 because I saw the need for such a great organization and phone line to help Kids in Need.  I then went on to volunteer as their Local Walk Chair for this event in 2011 and have been the Volunteer Chair every year since then. 

I used my Leadership techniques I learned to help me develop a great team of volunteers and committee members each year to make this event bring more awareness to the people of Victoria and every year it has gotten bigger and better with more funds each year being donated and more Registered Walkers and Teams.  Originally when I first took over as the Chair we were told that the walk was going to be cancelled in Victoria due to low turnout and low donations because it cost too much to run the event compared to donations coming in from Victoria.  So we have been very pleased that this is not the case and it has grown more and more each year both in people involved and in donations coming in these past 8 years.  I am very proud to have had a part in making this happen.  The Kids Help Phone has nominated me two years in a row now as the Volunteer of the Year for Volunteer Week and although I haven’t won I am honored to have been nominated and to be a part of this fantastic Organization.

Please help support me in raising funds for the “Kids Help Phone”.  This fundraiser is their yearly (main) fundraiser each year it is held on the first Sunday in May.  This year it is May 1, 2016.  It is called the "Walk So Kids Can Talk" event.  It is their National Fundraising Campaign and this year is our 15th year.  They need to raise substantial funds to keep the phone lines working to support Kids in Need.  Please help me to help them reach their goal.  The Kids Help Phone is a non-profit organization that relies solely on Private and Corporate donations and does not receive any Core Government Funding.  That means they must fund raise each year to make their needs met to help the Kids who call them.  Please help if you can by donating generously and if you are not able to please pass this onto others that may be able too.  Thank You in advance. 

Please click on the link and help the Kids.  My group's page link is as follows:

https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?teamID=690555&langPref=en-CA