A little volunteer time brings joy and laughter

During National Volunteer Week, April 6 to 12, 2014, we salute one of our many outstanding volunteers:  Mantavya.

Since 2011, Mantavya has been volunteering with the Vancouver Community Neighbourhood Connector program where a little one-on-one time goes a long way in making a difference in someone’s life.  Mantavya has logged

Volunteer Mantavya

more than 100 volunteer hours visiting a client and connecting him to his community.  In this role, Mantavya acts like a caring neighbour and every week visits his client for a social call.  Sometimes they go for walks and drop into local shops.

Q:         Tell us how you got involved volunteering with Vancouver Coastal Health.

A:         I started volunteering with VCH in 2011. I was interested in working in healthcare and decided to seek a volunteer position that centered on the well-being of a person. This was the first step towards looking into volunteering opportunities with VCH and ended with me getting involved in the Neighbourhood Connector program.

Q:         What is your favorite memory volunteering with Vancouver Coastal Health?

A:         My favourite memory was a particular visit with the client on a rainy day. For the majority of my visits I would accompany the client to the neighbourhood park for a nice walk and we would sit and catch up about sports. On this particular day, it was raining and we decided to stay indoors and catch up on hockey among other things. I don’t remember the exact topic of our conversion but I do clearly remember the client laughing in a manner I had not seen in the previous year and a half that I had been with him. It was such an open and genuine laugh that it stuck with me, especially since he is limited in speech and communication due to his disability.

Q:         What would you tell someone who is thinking about volunteering with Vancouver Coastal Health?

A:         Volunteering with VCH is a wonderful opportunity. Not only do you get to give back to the community in a positive manner but you grow on a personal level because of your volunteering experiences. There is no better feeling than knowing that your actions are having a positive impact on another person.