This week the AGO celebrated National Volunteer Week – and this year marks 60 years of volunteering here at the AGO, where art matters to the more than 500 volunteers who choose to give their time and talent to our institution.

Here is one volunteer’s explanation of why volunteering is important to her.

It is a way for me to both support and enjoy the endeavour of my choice, although I will admit that I first came to the AGO as a way of making myself go out on a weekend in the winter! They were much colder then (1980!!) and I would come home from work Friday night and stay in my apartment until Monday morning.

But from that origin as a Special Exhibition volunteer, I had the opportunity to get involved in many projects and special events and still immensely enjoy the support I can give to the AGO.

I am also a member of the organizing committee for Polo for Heart and am very involved in the Polo event held on a weekend each June at Gormley – it’s a wonderful day in the country so come on up! Here again, I can offer my support and thus assist in the overall accomplishments of Polo and its fund raising.

- Barbara Carson