Meet the Volunteer: Nicole McCoy

Name: Nicole McCoy

I’m originally from a small town in Canada, but I’ve lived abroad a few times. I spent a semester in France during university, and a year teaching English in Japan. About two years ago, my husband was offered a position in Zürich, and I moved here with him on a spouse visa.

I’m a social person, so I knew I would want to make friends as soon as I could, and because I’d lived abroad before, I had a plan for that – join groups where I could meet with people who had interests in common. I’ve always been the person who wanted to volunteer but “never had the time.” When I moved to Zürich, I had no job, no social connections, and all the time in the world, and I thought I should finally put my good intentions to work.

What personal experiences drew you to charity work?

Growing up, my parents had a close-knit group of friends that we spent a lot of time with. None of the families in the group were well-off, but they used the skills and resources they had to help out others in the group. Whether you needed a mechanic or a carpenter, help with the kids or hand-me-downs for a growing teenager, there was always someone in the group that would offer to help.

Growing up in such a tight-knit community helped me realise early on that people aren’t meant to do everything on their own. The older I get, the more I realise how lucky I was to grow up with those people around me. Not everyone has that kind of support, and if I can give even a little bit of that feeling of community to someone else, I want to do that.

How did you get involved with Zharity?

I was looking for volunteer opportunities in English and found Zharity through the City of Zürich’s website. The first event I signed up for was a material cutting event for the pad project. At the event, I learned more about the organization and what roles needed to be filled and I decided that I wanted to become more involved.

What projects are you currently working on?

I’m currently co-leading the Reusable Pad Project, which makes and sends reusable pads to a school in Ethiopia, helping to keep children in school during their periods. I also help write posts for our blog, and once a week I help sort incoming donations at the storage unit.