Christine Seibeck, Louise Christoffersen and Maggie Soare from the thrift shop go all western.
Lyonel Doherty photo
Simply lending an ear or holding a hand is the greatest gift you can give someone lying in a hospital bed or living all alone.
These precious gifts are what many Interior Health volunteers are known for in the South Okanagan.
“I’m sincerely amazed at the energy and excitement that you bring every day,” said volunteer coordinator Marelene Parrott during an appreciation luncheon at the Oliver Community Centre last week.
She noted that what these people contribute on a regular basis truly makes a difference in people’s lives.
Interior Health director Ken Burrows said it’s exciting to see so many male volunteers getting involved.
Burrows changed the famous quote by John F. Kennedy by saying, “Ask not what your community can do for you, but what you can do for your community.”
Connie Hattum, manager of resident services at McKinney Place, said she was humbled by the generosity and compassion that volunteers show towards the residents.
“Your time is the richest gift . . . even if you’re just holding a hand.”
Hattum joined Lynn Tsumuraya, manager of Sunnybank Centre, in thanking all of the volunteers for their spirit of giving.
Genevieve Nice, acute care services manager at South Okanagan General Hospital, said volunteers generously give a piece of their time – something they will never get back.
Nice said volunteers with the South Okanagan Health Care Auxiliary contributed more than 35,000 hours in 2013.
She noted that 51 per cent of the volunteers are retired, while 15 per cent are high school students. “It’s unbelievable how willing this group is every day,” Nice said.
She pointed out that volunteers do all manner of things, including feeding patients, maintaining gardens, preparing food, assisting in the office, and befriending clients.
Volunteers even make sure clients have enough medications for the weekend.
Sandy Knippelberg and Pat Linton have volunteered at the thrift shop in Oliver for several years.
Linton said she enjoys seeing people come through the door and the types of items being donated. And she loves the laughter generated in the shop.
Knippelberg said if she wasn’t volunteering here, she would be doing it somewhere else.
“It feels good to see how you can help. One day we will be there (in Sunnybank Centre). It’s nice to give back,” Knippelberg stated.
Longtime nurse Lois Brummet has found her calling as an educator for Desert Valley Hospice Society.
Even as a youngster, she felt comfortable around people who were facing death. In fact, she was intrigued by the care given to them. “I think I was born with it,” Brummet said.
She will never forget, as a little girl, the day her neighbour lost another baby. “My mother told me that God must have wanted a special angel.”
During her nursing career, Brummet spent time with dying patients to set an example for her staff. “My belief is that death is natural. It’s part of living.”
Brummet viewed her time spent with the dying as a journey to that last doorway. She made sure they were not alone as they opened it.
Local volunteer Hank O’Handley said he could do a lot of things in life, but giving people his time makes him feel good.
He currently helps patients receiving end-of-life care. Most of it consists of simply listening to what they have to say, which means a great deal to them.
“All of them have tremendous stories.”
O’Handley said a lot of people don’t have any family left. “I’ve seen people who’ve never had a soul to talk to until hospice . . . it’s just heartbreaking.”
Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
