Volunteer Spotlight: Michael Daly
Meet Michael—a dedicated Social and Professional Mentor Volunteer who has been empowering newcomers at NYCH since 2023
Tell us a little about yourself!
I arrived in Toronto from the United Kingdom in 1977, when I was hired by Bell Canada. I have been officially retired since 2005, following my career in management, during which time I was sent on several extended overseas assignments to Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, The Philippines, and Brazil. I also worked in several European countries before coming to Toronto. All this gave me excellent experience in working in and adapting to various cultures.
Following retirement, I decided I wanted to share this experience, and also teach English to mentor others with their careers. What did my wife and I do…? We went to Shanghai in 2008, expecting to stay for maybe two years. I was working for a large English Learning Institute, which gave me the opportunity to do exactly what I wanted to do. As a result, two years turned into 15! I found it the most rewarding experience of my life. We eventually returned in 2022, and I realized I wanted to continue mentoring. Outside of volunteering, I enjoy going to the theatre to watch many different genres of plays, and I am a soccer fanatic…watching, not playing!
Why did you decide to volunteer with North York Community House?
Why NYCH? I did some research and was impressed with the wide breadth of activities it covers. It particularly provided me the opportunity to offer cultural, business and English mentoring to a variety of newcomer nationalities. The fact that it is a North York organization, which is where I live, was also a deciding factor.
What has been the most meaningful part of your volunteer experience?
Most meaningful… the opportunity to meet people from a wide variety of cultures, and who have different needs, and to see them grow in confidence in both social and business environments. To see them integrating and participating successfully in both environments. To see the look on their faces when this happens. You cannot beat that!
What’s something new you’ve learned while volunteering here at NYCH?
That no matter what country, what culture, what difficult newcomers face, we all want the same things…a home, a job, the ability to take care of our families, have friends, and to feel we belong in Canada.
What’s next for you, and do you see yourself continuing to volunteer with us in the future?
What’s next for me? To continue doing what I am doing , volunteering as long as I am able. Why? An added benefit for a “slightly” older person like me is it keeps me young, as all my mentee are considerably younger!
