It was natural for Kyra Thiele, Manager of Surveillance at Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries to transfer her career skills of providing safety and security into her volunteer efforts.
As a volunteer at the Winnipeg Folk Fest, Kyra ensures everyone has a safe and enjoyable camping experience. She relishes being part of the beloved community of 4 days and nights where people can enjoy music, play instruments and build connections. As a leader with Girl Guides of Canada, Kyra creates safe and inclusive spaces where kids can build their confidence and discover their potential.
As a child, Kyra first resonated with the Girl Guides as her mother was one of her leaders. She was very excited to introduce her oldest child into the program and continue that family tradition. Having parents that were involved inspired her to lead by example and take the opportunity to show her kids the values in giving back.
“I love working for an organization that fosters personal interests and empowers youth to discover their own abilities while teaching unity and friendship as they grow into adulthood,” said Kyra. “It’s an honour to be able to teach practical skills that they can apply to real life and bring into the future.”
As an ally for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Kyra connects with how Girl Guides aims to create a safe space and inclusivity for women, girls, or those who identify as non-binary or transgender women and girls and to make kids feel welcomed, belonged, and part of a culture.
“I want to be their safe space and safe person that they can talk with openly,” said Kyra. “I find it rewarding from the standpoint of being able to be that person for kids that are growing and developing. That means a lot to me.”
Over her eight years volunteering with the Girl Guides, Kyra embarked on two memorable trips to Muskoka and Churchill in which she experienced all kinds of adventures including seeing beluga whales and an exciting polar bear sighting on their last day. The trip was made possible through several fundraising campaigns including the sale of 800 cases of those iconic Girl Guide cookies.
“I have very close connections with the kids in my unit because I take the time to talk to them and to learn about them,” said Kyra. “To know what they want and what they are working towards and what matters to them, and that’s a rewarding experience.”
The MBLL Volunteer & Employee Giving Program introduced program enhancements in 2024 that now centers around employee choice of deciding where, when, how and what they want to support their communities in charitable ways. This includes which Manitoban charity/non-profit an employee wants to designate their corporate charitable donation up to $1000 in recognition of their charitable efforts including payroll donations. Kyra chose to allocate her charitable corporate donation towards Sunshine House as they champion her ideology in creating safe spaces and reducing harm in communities. The program enhancements allows employees to diversify their impact and allowing employees to choose where they want to volunteer their time and talents to redirecting the corporate donation to another Manitoban charity/non-profit.
“Everybody in this world deserves to have access to proper care and spaces that they feel understood and safe,” said Kyra. “To me having an organization support me in my efforts to give back, creates the opportunity to grow my own community through volunteerism.”
Reuniting with kids from Girl Guides, Kyra is often greeted with excitement as they share life updates, and it reminds her that she created an important space that they needed and that she was there for her community.
“The world around me is so much larger than my own and I really enjoy the feelings that come from being a part of something bigger than myself,” said Kyra. “It’s cool to see how my efforts have contributed to positive community change in real ways.”
#MBLLGoodTogether demonstrates Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries’ (MBLL) commitment to partnering with Manitoba communities, non-profits, and charitable organizations that help make our province an even better place to live. Our Community Champion series highlights MBLL employees that are making a difference in the lives of Manitobans through their work or volunteer efforts in the spirit of being “good together.”
Read more Our Stories here.