The buzz around Halifax these days is all about the 2011 Canada Games and a Canadian Red Cross staffer is playing an important role at the sporting event – not as an athlete, but as a volunteer.
Ancel Langille with Canada Games mascots Anni and Sammi
Ancel Langille has temporarily set aside his Red Cross vest and responsibilities as manager of operations for Nova Scotia. These days, Ancel is busy coordinating 150-200 volunteers in his role as venue lead at Citadel High School, site of the wheelchair basketball and table tennis competitions.
Ancel Langille at the 2010 Olympic Games in Whistler, BC
This isn’t Ancel’s first foray in volunteering at a major sporting event. A lifelong Olympic fan (he even carried the torch in his hometown of Truro, NS as a teen in 1988), he describes his volunteer experience at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver as nothing short of amazing. He’s been involved in planning for the Canada Games for nearly two years and is thrilled to see it all come together. “At game time, it’s all hands on deck to make sure athletes have everything they need to do their best. It’s very similar to our work at the Red Cross when we respond to a disaster or set up a shelter.”
