Empowering our people to give back

We celebrate people like Michelle Divell during National Volunteer Week.

In recognition of National Volunteer Week, Empower, TC Energy’s workforce giving and volunteering program, recognizes and celebrates our peoples’ amazing contributions through the power of volunteering.

This years’ theme, The Value of One. The Power of Many, exemplifies the impact our Empower Agents, like Michelle Divell, have on the communities we call home. As an Empower Agent, Michelle brought her team together to strengthen the work-family relationship while simultaneously giving back to those who need the help. 

“I have always had a passion for engaging in new perspectives through varying causes and volunteer opportunities,” says Michelle. “With TC Energy, I was drawn to Empower for these reasons. I really love the sense of community that Empower provides – it’s fun to get my colleagues together for a great cause.”

Making an impact

In 2019, Michelle helped coordinate an event for Brown Bagging for Calgary Kids, a local charity that provides food to low-income children. “The event fundraising was successful and allowed us to strengthen our community within TC Energy. We were able to raise awareness about the charity’s mission and as a result, we created more volunteer opportunities for our workforce!” 

Whenever there’s an opportunity to get her department involved with a community initiative, Michelle is eager to jump on it.

During the 2020 Get Empowered! Campaign, Michelle assisted with the coordination of a virtual Technical Centre Exercise Challenge. During lunch hour, the team completed multiple reps of push-ups, squats, jumping jacks and crunches to raise the most amount of money for their country’s charity.

“It really all started as us seeking a team-building opportunity and luckily, we’ve found a way to also enhance our surrounding community. I love that I’m able to volunteer and seek out ways to involve my colleagues in community giving.”

How to get involved (safely)

 Community engagement can make a lasting impact, and Michelle believes that sharing your positivity and remaining authentic with your colleagues and friends is usually enough to motivate them to give back as well.

 “Personally, giving back makes me feel good about the fact that I’m gaining so much exposure and awareness to other peoples’ circumstances. It helps me grow as a person by being put in different situations that I normally wouldn’t find myself in.”

Although volunteering might look a bit different this year because of COVID-19, look for opportunities to get involved safely, like virtual volunteering!

More information:

Learn more about our Empower program