Manitoba

Darlingford, MB
Pembina Valley Camp

Gretna, MB
Mennonite Collegiate Institute (MCI)

Service Opportunities: MCI is an Anabaptist Christian high school and includes a full residence to approximately 150 - 200 students. MCI offers many opportunities in music, drama, leadership, development, Christian service, sports and personal enrichment trips and experiences. Many meaningful short-term or extended service opportunities are available. These include, but are not limited to the following: helping students with their homework, helping international students learn English, listening and loving young people as a surrogate grandparent, taking students to medical appointments, assisting with food service, doing maintenance and repair work, working on computers, writing articles, doing historical research and working in the office or library.

Lodging: Accommodations are available in a visitor’s suite at MCI, or in a guest residence one block away. Donations for accommodations would be appreciated. MCI is located near the USA border.

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Service Opportunities: Winnipeg is a city of 650,000 located on the Red River, 180 kms north of the U.S. border. Being near the centre of Canada, it is a major transportation centre. Although the city's population is now fairly diverse, most of the people are English speaking with French, German, and Ukrainian being the other predominant languages. There are about 75,000 First Nations people living in Winnipeg.

Assignments: There are a variety of service assignments available in Winnipeg

Agape Table - soup kitchen where the need is to help prepare and serve hot, free meals and hospitality to the poor.

Union Gospel Mission - soup kitchen and clothing distribution, where volunteers would be involved in cooking, serving meals and providing hospitality and friendship.

Winnipeg Harvest Food Bank - is an organization committed to distributing surplus food and eliminating hunger in the city. Volunteers would help with general warehouse work and administrative duties.

Family Community Centre - provides a drop-in for young moms to chat and discuss issues that affect them. Volunteers would help with the day-to-day operations of the centre.

Habitat for Humanity - volunteers can serve on various working committees and in the office. Habitat ReStore is another area for volunteer involvement. ReStore diverts used construction materials and offers them for sale to the public at costs that are much lower than retail. All proceeds from sales go towards assisting in the primary mission of Habitat. Construction activities are generally in the summer, but occasional slow builds may take place any time of the year.

Lodging: Accommodation can be arranged.

Canadian Mennonite University (CMU)

Service Opportunities: Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is a Christian university located in Winnipeg on a beautiful campus beside the 1,000 acre Assiniboine Park and Forest.  CMU is a growing undergraduate university with approximately 950 full time equivalent students across its programs.  Many opportunities are available for service year round.  CMU encourages assignments that are several weeks long and which allow participants to feel part of the vibrant community life.  Type of service opportunities available are: administrative, maintenance, special events, student life, library.  All opportunities are based on skills and interest.

Lodging:CMU will provide an apartment or resident room and a meal at no cost.

Camps with Meaning

Service Opportunities: Camps with Meaning, a ministry of Mennonite Church Manitoba, operates three year-round camps in Manitoba. Summer volunteers help with the following areas: camp nurse, maintenance, kitchen work, horsemanship and camp pastor (chaplain to the staff). Terms are for anywhere from one to nine weeks. There are opportunities to interact with children, youth and mentally handicapped adults during the summer program. Winter volunteers help with the following areas: maintenance, building projects, kitchen work, hosting, horsemanship. Special opportunities also could involve research and development, graphic arts and program design. The camps are located near Winnipeg, Boissevain and Sprague.

Lodging: RV hook-ups or use of room in lodge or dormitory are available on-site accommodations.

Steinbach, Manitoba
Mennonite Heritage Village

Service Opportunities: The Mennonite Heritage Village exists to preserve and promote the history and experience of Mennonites, particularly Russian Mennonites who migrated to North America. Their story is told through exhibits, artifacts and display panels in a permanent gallery, and by an outdoor pioneer village. For the volunteer, there are a wide range of tasks available, from cataloguing artifacts, computer data entry, heritage building restoration, costumed interpretation of heritage buildings, demonstration of pioneer skills such as blacksmithing, threshing, flour milling, saw milling, spinning, quilting, milk separation, butter churning, bread baking in an outdoor clay oven and much more, gardening and grounds-keeping, antique vehicle and equipment care and repair.

Lodging: There are 2 RV parks and campgrounds serving the community, and the Heritage Village can also provide unserviced space for RV's on the grounds. For groups of 10 or more, there is modestly priced dormitory space available in a nearby school in July and August. Heritage Village will seek lodging arrangements if necessary.