As a leader in children’s music education and performance, the CCOC strives to connect and inspire through artistic storytelling while building a community of confident, resilient, and empathic young people. The world-class arts education and unique opportunities for professional experience that your chorister receives at CCOC is not possible without the ongoing hands-on support from each of our families as volunteers and fundraisers.

PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE!

As a non-profit, registered charity with a mighty but very small staff to execute all of the roles and tasks associated with running the organization, we must rely on the support of our community to ensure that we can continue to offer our programs to your choristers! This is why part of your role as a CCOC Family is to contribute to the organization as a volunteer.

how credits are assigned to volunteer tasks

THE CCOC USES THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA TO ASSIGN A CREDIT VALUE TO A TASK

Volunteer credits do not necessarily align directly with the number of hours contributed to a task, some tasks earn more credits than time put in by the volunteer (e.g. tasks requiring a specific skill set) and some earn less (e.g. tasks that don’t require much skill or commitment). Volunteer credits are assigned based on the following criteria:

• Difficulty of the task
• Location, date and time of the task
• Length of time taken to complete the task
• Whether or not the task required an individual with unique training or skills
• The importance of the task and the value of its completion to the CCOC

the bingo program

EARN YOUR VOLUNTEER CREDITS FAST 

A great way for families to earn their credits is to become a Bingo volunteer. Bingo volunteers are trained representatives of the CCOC who work in pairs for two-hour shifts at a provincially-run gaming center (Rama Gaming House – Scarborough at Kennedy & Lawrence).

The best part of being a Bingo volunteer is that this opportunity earns you DOUBLE the credits which means that working just FIVE SHIFTS of Bingo earns your family its entire requirement for the year! 

EARN 1 CREDIT FOR COMPLETING THE TRAINING MODULE TO BECOME A CERTIFIED CCOC BINGO VOLUNTEER!

The 1 credit will be added to your first Bingo Shift of the season. With each Bingo shift being 4 credits, you can earn a total of 5 credits for doing the training and one Bingo shift!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What if I don’t have the time to volunteer and cannot make the financial contribution to opt out of the Volunteer Program? The Volunteer Program is not intended to be a burden on our families, rather a chance for our families to connect with each other while also supporting the CCOC as we strive to provide a world of opportunities for your choristers. However, we understand that completing this program may not be possible for everyone. If your family isn’t able to complete the Volunteer Program please connect with our Executive Director, Katherine Semcesen at katherine@canadianchildrensopera.com.

What happens if I don’t earn any volunteer credits throughout the season? If your family doesn’t earn any volunteer credits by the end of the season and you have not yet made a financial contribution to opt out of the program, you will be sent an invoice at the end of the season for the amount relating to your chorister(s)’s choir(s). 

What happens if I earn some, but not all of the credits? For families who are able to earn some, but not all of the required credits by the end of the season, a discount relating to the percentage of credits earned will be deducted from your financial contribution amount.

How does the Volunteer Program work if I have multiple choristers at the CCOC? In order to make the Volunteer Program more approachable for families with multiple choristers, we’ve made it so that the number of credits we ask for doesn’t increase per chorister. Families with multiples choristers are just asked to earn the number of credits associated with their oldest chorister. However, if a family with mutiple choristers would like opt out by contributing with a financial contribution, we do ask that the amount is made for each of the choirs that their children participate in. These families also have the option to earn up to half of the credits by making the full financial contribution for one of their chorister’s and completing the other half by volunteering.

How does the Volunteer Program work for families starting with the CCOC mid-season? In order to make the Volunteer Program more approachable for families who register with the CCOC mid-season, the program requirements are altered to reflect the amount of time that they have to complete the program. These families are asked to earn half of the credits associated with their child’s choir, and the financial contribution amount requested to opt out of the program is also altered to be roughly 20% of your choristers mid-season tuition fees. The financial contribution amounts for families who have registered mid-season to opt out of the program are as follows:

 Butterfly Chorus – $110

Ruby Chorus – $150

Apprentice Chorus – $190

Intermediate Chorus – $210

Principal Chorus – $300

Young Artist Studio – $190

Can my chorister earn volunteer credits towards the CCOC Volunteer Program? Only our YAS choristers are able, and encouraged, to help their families earn credits towards the volunteer program. However, all of our high school aged choristers and/or sibling are also welcome to volunteer with the CCOC to achieve their community volunteer hours towards completing the Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

Who can I reach out to with questions about the Volunteer Program? You can reach out to our Registrar & Operations Coordinator, Alice Norton-Bell at registrar@canadianchildrensopera.com.