Volunteers giving and receiving happiness

Volunteering is often seen as a selfless act. And for the hundreds of volunteers that give of their time and enthusiasm to patients, residents and clients within VCH Coastal facilities, their efforts truly come with no strings attached.

But the heart-warming thing that you hear from so many of our volunteers is that they feel they receive as much from their efforts as they give — in some cases even more! It’s this wonderful symbiotic relationship that we celebrate with short vignettes about a very small group of committed VCH volunteers as part of this week’s National Volunteer Week celebration:

Ted Slinn’s work with clients of the North Van Adult Day Care program has been very well received by both staff and families. His specialized skills and workshop enable him to help seniors produce attractive, rugged items such as this wooden fire truck.

Ted Slinn — as a former shop teacher at Prince of Wales Secondary School, Ted Slinn knows his way around  a wood shop. What Ted does with his skills nowadays is help North Shore Adult Day Program clients finish off woodwork projects that he’s started at home, something that he’s found appeals more to the men in the program than women. Ted’s volunteered for other worthy organizations before — the Canadian Cancer Society and North Shore Harvest Project are two examples — but he seems to have found his niche at Margaret Fulton Centre where he can put his well-honed skills to work and help seniors in the program produce items they’re proud of.

Gerald Finlay has been volunteering at Kiwanis Care Centre since his wife moved into the facility in January 2008. She has since passed but he continues to work in the General Store as well as help with the choir.

Gerald Finlay — a big fan of music and a firm believer in the therapeutic value of it, Gerald Finlay has been a part of the choir at Kiwanis Care Centre for a number of years, finally being persuaded to join as a singer three years ago. Gerald is a fan of ballads (such as Elvis Presley’s Blue Moon) as part of the quarterly concerts that the choir puts on for families and residents and feels his time at KCC is well spent. “I love seeing the happiness on the faces of residents. Music is definitely one of the best therapies for people.”

Sheila Forrester has spent time at Kiwanis Care Centre regularly many years now, starting when her mom became a KCC resident in 1999. The thousands of hours she has dedicated doing everything from reading to residents to gardening hasn’t gone unnoticed by KCC residents, their families and staff.

Sheila Forrester — Sheila knows the value that 10 – 15 minutes can make to an elderly person’s day. Which is why she’s a 15-year volunteer who’s done her best to provide companionship and help residents avoid being lonely. Whether it’s helping decorate for Christmas or Hallowe’en or organizing craft or painting, she enjoys being able to make residents happy with things that many of us might take for granted. Her time in health care as an Registered Nurse and then a Medical Office Assistant give her a better understanding of the health care system than most volunteers.

Lions Gate Hospital volunteers Frieda Pahlke (L) and Morgan Haines bring vastly different life experiences to their volunteer roles but share a common motivation: helping make the day of concerned patients and family members a little bit better. Both members of this “dynamic duo” love the variety of their volunteer time as well as the focus on people, some of whom are in distress, which Morgan calls “humbling at times.” 

Frieda Pahlke — has had a lot of experience giving back to people in her life, working in the optical industry helping patients for more than 35 years. But a lifelong desire to work in a hospital is one of the reasons she’s spent plenty of hours at the LGH Information Desk over the last 10+ years. Her kind manner and interest in people make her popular with LGH visitors.

Morgan Haines –this 21-year-old UBC Science student is “paying it forward” with his gift of time. Once the recipient of some wonderful comforting by a volunteer while Morgan was in the ED being treated for an injury, he appreciated the effect the volunteer had on his condition and vowed to do the same himself one day. He’s made good on that promised for a year now, showing remarkable perspective for such a young man.