Iva Wilson: Canadian Society

Manitoban Dept: As a volunteer with the Immigrant Centre, she spends her time facilitating an English class with participants from around the world. The centre helps new immigrants adjust to life in Manitoban and Canadian society by offering free and low-cost programming, according to Winnipeg Free Press. A former teacher, before taking time off to be a stay-at-home mother, Wilson went back to school to get her certificate for teaching English as another language, a decisions she said was "one of the best things I ever did." Iva Wilson's volunteer work combines many of the activities she enjoys the most -- teaching, meeting new people and learning new cultures. "It's almost like travelling without a passport," said Wilson, a St. Charles-area resident, noting in her class this fall she's had students from China, Japan, the Philippines, Venezuela, Switzerland, Russia and Belarus. "It's just so much fun. You hear such great stories. I learn a lot." (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.