Finding Purpose in the Grey: A Year with Team Rubicon Canada
Just over a year ago, I made a life-changing decision—to step away from my full-time role in emergency management. After five intense years of continuous response operations, I was burned out and knew I needed to pause. It was time to refocus on what mattered most: my own well-being, my family, my friends, and my community.
That decision wasn’t easy. Like many who work in emergency management or high-tempo roles, I was used to serving others, often putting my needs last. But I knew that to truly be of service in the future, I needed to take a breath and reset. What I didn’t realize was how profoundly one volunteer opportunity would shape this next chapter of my life.
Enter Team Rubicon Canada.
I joined the organization as a volunteer—otherwise known as a Greyshirt—hoping to reignite my passion for humanitarian work. I missed the field, missed the connection with communities, and missed the sense of impact. Team Rubicon Canada offered a way to reconnect with all of that and much more.
My first deployment reminded me of why I entered this line of work in the first place: to help people when they’re facing some of their worst days. Whether responding to disasters, supporting wildfire mitigation efforts, or helping clear debris after a flood, every action taken as a Greyshirt is rooted in compassion and solidarity.
Over the past year, I’ve deployed across Canada and to the U.S., working alongside fellow Greyshirts—people who consistently show up with grit, heart, and humility. In them, I’ve found a community that reflects my own values. My core principles—service, compassion, and integrity—are deeply aligned with Team Rubicon Canada’s culture.
The organization doesn’t just talk about values, it lives them:
Service is selfless. Unity is strength. Kindness and integrity are powerful.
Even more profound was discovering the deeper culture of care and support within the Greyshirt community. Team Rubicon Canada is not just a disaster response organization, it’s a place where vulnerability is not only accepted but embraced. It’s a space where people transitioning from the military, emergency services, or personal life challenges find a team that gets it. The support is real and the impact is mutual.
For me, Team Rubicon Canada became a place of healing, and I was able to rebuild my mental and physical health, gain new skills, and feel reconnected to something larger than myself. I contributed in meaningful ways, sharing my emergency management expertise, mentoring others, and learning from leaders and teammates who inspired me.
I thought I knew what I was signing up for, but I didn’t. Team Rubicon Canada turned out to be deeper, more powerful, and more meaningful than I had imagined. I found a new sense of purpose, surrounded by people who lead with heart, humility, and humour.
If you’re someone looking to give back, to reconnect with your sense of service, or to find a community that lifts as it serves, I highly recommend joining Team Rubicon Canada. Whether you’re a seasoned responder, a military veteran, a tradesperson, or someone with a strong back and an open heart, there’s a role for you.
Being a Greyshirt has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. And in this season of reset, it gave me exactly what I didn’t know I needed: purpose, connection, and a powerful reminder that even in the hardest of times, we can choose to show up—for others, and for ourselves.