18 Sep Volunteer in Profile: Andy To

With over 450 volunteer hours, Andy To has been a quiet, driving force behind many Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC) projects in the past year.
 
He was one of the key organizers of the Get Happy Project, where the YVC steering committee sets out to make Calgarians have a better day.
 
“There’s so much negativity throughout the city, especially downtown,” Andy says. “People are so tired from work, they just want to go home. Or they are usually grumpy on Monday mornings when they don’t want to go to work. [For the first Get Happy Project], we made a sign that said ‘Have a great day YYC,’ stood on the Crowchild overpass early Monday morning and were yelling and waving to people, wishing that they had a great week. We just wanted to make people’s day a bit brighter. I think it made an impact.”
 
Andy’s volunteer hours have largely come from helping the homeless at the Salvation Army, spending time with seniors at Edward’s Place and Carter’s Place, and volunteering at the Calgary Zoo. He also recently joined the International Youth Advisory Board with YVC of America, where he provides his perspective to YVC headquarters and brings new ideas back to Youth Central’s YVC program.
 
Andy says, “I would say that Youth Central has really boosted my confidence. Back when I got an interview for the YVC steering committee, I was very nervous and not confident with my own abilities. I feel like throughout the past year I’ve grown as a person and also helped my community a lot more. Youth Central has been a big part of that.”
 
After he graduates from high school, it’s Andy’s plan to become a pediatric surgeon and continue to help those in need by joining Doctors Without Borders.