By Nigel Maxwell

Local volunteers dig deep for cause

Apr 13, 2018 | 5:00 PM

Even a hard pack of snow and ice could not stop an annual tradition from going ahead Friday morning in Prince Albert.

As a lead up to National Volunteer Week, the Saskatchewan Health Authority, plants a tree each year outside the Prince Albert Tourism Information Centre as a way to honour its volunteers. While the actual tree won’t likely get planted until June, that didn’t stop a handful of volunteers from going through the motions, each one holding a golden shovel provided by the City of Prince Albert.

Director of Volunteer Services for the Prince Albert region, Sonya Jahn said volunteers play a vital role at their facilities.

“[The volunteers] provide those extras that staff just can’t get to, so working together as a team ultimately helps provide the best care possible for the people we serve in our communities,” she said.

Jahn said they currently have 3,500 volunteers working in home care, at hospitals, and long term care homes.

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“It sounds like we have an impressive number of volunteers but we have folks that go away for the winter and then there are people who head out to the lake for the summer, and we may have to make sure those vacancies are filled,” she said.

Jahn said some of the programs requiring immediate volunteers include meals on wheels, palliative care and working with newly diagnosed cancer patients.

Lilly Koenig, 17, has been involved with the youth volunteer program at Victoria hospital for the past three years, but volunteered in the health care field for almost seven. She said she gets a lot of satisfaction from helping out.

“The best part is getting to meet a lot of different people and getting to hear their stories,” she said.

Gary Curts, volunteered for about six years, working mainly at Birch Hills and Pine View long term care home in Prince Albert. He said he enjoys driving the bus and running the canteen.

“You know you get to know all the residents and they appreciate it so that makes me feel good,” he said. 

Curts was asked what advice he would give to someone who was considering volunteering but was unsure about the hours. Curts said the hours are very flexible and are based on whatever a person can do.

As part of National Volunteer Week, there will be nearly a dozen volunteer recognition events held across the region throughout the month of April, which will include a tea and awards ceremony.

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell