- National Volunteer Week - April 27 to May 3, 2025
- National Day of Mourning - April 28, 2025
- Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) and Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) Awareness Month - May 2025
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Awareness Month - May 2025
- Museum Month - May 2025
- National Youth Week - May 1 to 7, 2025
- National Nursing Week - May 12 to 18, 2025
- Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) Week - May 18 to 24, 2025
- Menstrual Health Day - May 28, 2025
National Volunteer Week - April 27 to May 3, 2025
The theme for National Volunteer Week 2025 is Volunteers Make Waves. It highlights the power, impact and importance of individual and collective volunteer efforts across Canada. Like a wave, volunteering is movement building. Water is in constant motion, always flowing, shifting, and transforming with every powerful wave or quiet ripple. And so is each volunteer’s contribution toward creating impact in our communities. Each individual volunteer contribution, big or small, creates momentum and has the power to influence and inspire, joining a wave of positive change. Building on the tides sent out before us, waves swell with each generation of volunteers. Our actions ripple out to broader community benefits, like improved well-being, increased social cohesion, and enhanced resilience in the face of change and uncertainty. Each wave is unique and brings something vibrant and new to the ecosystem. During National Volunteer Week 2025, communities come together to recognize and celebrate all the ways volunteers make waves from coast to coast to coast. Together we create ripples of change. And through the power of our amplified impact, Volunteers Make Waves. The sharing of time, skills, empathy, and creativity is vital to the inclusivity, strength, and well-being of our communities. By coming together, committing support, and increasing our collective efforts and impact, volunteers contribute exponentially to the quality of life we all strive for. National Volunteer Week is a chance to highlight the value of volunteers and their positive impact on society.
Volunteers Make Waves
Together, we create ripples of change
#VolunteersMakeWaves #NVW2025
For more information, please visit volunteer.ca/national-volunteer-week
National Day of Mourning - April 28, 2025
Monday, April 28, 2025, is the National Day of Mourning. This year’s theme, “Workers Demand Action on Invisible Injuries and Hazards,” highlights the fact that not all workplace hazards are visible. Workers must be protected from unseen dangers and supported in recovering from invisible injuries and illnesses. The Day of Mourning was officially recognized by the Ontario Legislature in 1988 and became federal law in 1991. Today, it is observed in many countries worldwide as a time to remember workers who have been killed, injured, or made ill on the job. While we mourn the dead, we must dedicate ourselves to fight for the living and prevent this terrible and unnecessary toll by ensuring that our governments constantly review and enforce health and safety regulations, that all workplaces adhere to health and safety regulations and that all workers are regularly trained in all health and safety aspects of their workplace. At the federal, provincial, and municipal levels, our elected officials have the power to save lives by ensuring proper staffing levels and providing the necessary resources to prevent injury, illness, and burnout.
For more information, please visit durhamlabour.ca/events/day-of-mourning-2025
Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) and Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) Awareness Month - May 2025
The Month of May, has been internationally designated as " Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) and Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) Awareness Month" to educate the public and to focus attention on these rare conditions. The GBS/CIDP Foundation of Canada is a national, not-for-profit patient organization that supports patients and families afflicted with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy, and variants such as Multifocal Motor Neuropathy, where patients are served through support, education, research and advocacy.
GBS has a sudden onset of symptoms, which can cause complete paralysis within a day. Recovery can be unpredictable, patients and their families face an uncertain future, usually requiring months of hospital care without knowing if or when they will recover, or whether they will face long-term disabilities. Earlier diagnosis, treatment, and access to rehabilitation services can improve the chances of avoiding permanent lifelong residual damage of the nerves. The cause of these conditions is unknown, and can develop in any person, regardless of age, gender or ethnic background.
Raising awareness of these rare conditions is important for existing and future patients. The goal is to receive help sooner and have a stronger sense of hope. The GBS/CIDP Foundation of Canada provides support and information through trained volunteers, website engagement, materials provided to hospitals, and the organization of local and online peer-to-peer support group meetings, patient educational events and building awareness within the medical community. The GBS/CIDP Foundation of Canada advocates for access to diagnosis and appropriate treatment, and also support Canadian research that aims to improve the quality of life of GBS, CIDP, and variants patients.
While considered rare diseases, in Canada GBS affects 2 in 100,000, and in Zika outbreaks 9-24 in 100,000. CIDP effects 5-7 in 100,000.
For more information, please visit: www.gbscidp.ca
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Awareness Month - May 2025
Canada has one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the world. Over 90,000 Canadians live with MS and on average, 12 Canadians are diagnosed with the disease every day. MS is a neurological disease of the central nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Each person is affected by MS differently. The most common MS symptoms include fatigue, lack of coordination, weakness, tingling, impaired sensation, vision problems, bladder and bowel problems, and cognitive and mood changes. Approximately 1 in every 400 Canadians live with MS, and most of us know someone who is affected by the disease. MS Canada provides information, support, education and other resources for people affected by MS and their support networks.
For more information about MS and MS Canada, please visit: mscanada.ca
Museum Month - May 2025
Occurring annually since 2000, May is Museum Month and is a program run by the Ontario Museum Association celebrating Ontario’s 700+ museums, galleries, and heritage sites, as well as their 7,000 employees and 16,000 volunteers. It is an opportunity to celebrate the impact they have as trusted local organizations, building community connections and engagement, driving local economies and inspiring lifelong learning.
Museum Month coincides with International Museum Day on May 18th, an initiative organized by the International Council of Museums that raises awareness for museums as centres of learning, innovation, and cultural understanding. Through research, programming and community engagement, museums have a cascading effect that fosters positive change. Some initiatives include: supporting climate action, fostering inclusivity, tackling social isolation, improving mental health, and advancing Truth and Reconciliation.
For more information, please visit: museumsontario.ca
National Youth Week: May 1-7, 2025
National Youth Week is celebrated annually from May 1 – May 7. The week is dedicated to the celebration of youth and their active participation in the community. Whether it is through contributions to recreation, sport, volunteerism, dance or art, National Youth Week is a time to honour the involvement of youth. The City of Pickering will be celebrating at various Free Teen Programs throughout the week, and hosting a special event on Saturday, May 3rd, 2025 to celebrate.
For more information, please visit the Teen Events page.
National Nursing Week - May 12 to 18, 2025
This year, National Nursing Week is May 12-18, 2025, to honour the central contributions of nurses across all health sectors and settings. To celebrate nurses across the province, the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) – the voluntary professional association representing more than 54,400 nurse practitioners, registered nurses and nursing students – will host a variety of events for nurses and other health professionals to attend.
For more information, please visit: rnao.ca/events
Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) Week - May 18 to 24, 2025
Every year, Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) Week is celebrated in concurrence with Queen Victoria's birthday. VON Canada has been pioneering care at home for over 125 years. They are a highly-trusted non-profit organization that works with clients, employees, volunteers and partners to provide innovative clinical, personal and social support to people who want the comfort and peace of mind of living in their own homes and communities. At its core, VON is committed to helping clients in the region stay out of long-term care and maintain their independence for as long as possible in their own homes. Every client has a right to determine what “home” means and how to live.
This year’s VON Week is May 18-24, 2025, and celebrates the achievements of VON, the impact of the sector going forward, and the workforce that makes VON what it is today, as proud contributors to an efficient healthcare system.
For more information, please visit: von.ca/en
Menstrual Health Day - May 28, 2025
Initiated by German non-profit WASH United in 2014, Menstrual Health* Day (MH Day) is a global day of action with more than 1,100 partner organizations working together to raise awareness and break the taboo around menstrual health. The second aim of MH Day is to urge global, national and local leaders to prioritize and act on Menstrual Health.
The Period Purse is a non-profit registered charity that launched in Toronto in 2017. The Period Purse strives to achieve menstrual equity by providing people who menstruate access to free menstrual products and to reduce the negative stigma associated with periods through education and advocacy.
For more information, please visit theperiodpurse.com