Sharon Jensen, a REALTOR® with Nanaimo’s Century 21 Harbour Realty, is a long-term volunteer for the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society. Sharon has served on the Board of Directors for four years and was recently elected President at the registered charity’s Annual General Meeting this June.
For Sharon, having an opportunity to be involved with and be exposed to different cultures is like being in a flower garden. “If you only have one kind of flower, it can get pretty boring,” she explains. “But when you have a wide variety of flowers, of different shapes and colors, you have something exciting and beautiful.” That’s one of the motivations behind her long-term involvement with the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society in Nanaimo.
For new arrivals to Canada, there can be a number of challenges. “For many of them, coming to Canada is like landing on an alien planet,” she says. “They may come here with university degrees and 20 years of business experience, but don’t know how to get a library card or where to go to find a job. There is a lot to be done, but it can also be very rewarding.” That’s where the Society’s Immigrant Welcome Centre comes in. They offer English language classes, employment and direct settlement assistance, as well as other related services.
“My involvement with the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society is strictly a voluntary position as I make no money or carry out any real estate business through my position there,” she explains. “I do it because of the opportunity of learning about other cultures and to simply feel good about doing something positive in the community.”
When not looking after her real estate business or working with the Society, Jenson serves as an instructor of the Applied Practice Course at the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board and as an Adjunct Instructor in real estate fundamentals at Vancouver Island University (VIU). “Once in while, I even get to do some real estate,” she jokes.
