A Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon attended by 140 volunteers was held at the Barry’s Bay Legion on May 29. Barry’s Bay & Area Home Support, Valley Manor, St Francis Valley Healthcare Foundation, St Francis Memorial Hospital Auxiliary/Hospital and MV Hospice Palliative Care planned the event, at which the Legion served a lovely homemade lunch, to recognize the hard work of many volunteers in the community. (Shown above: volunteer group. Photo Travis Richards, TRO)
Lisa Hubers, Executive Director of MV Hospice Palliative Care, was the lead organizer for the event. She said the luncheon proved that every type of personality, experience level, knowledge and skill set could be utilized, appreciated, and put to good use. She emphasized the importance of volunteers telling their stories to their families, friends, colleagues and community to help inspire others and to be able to “pass the torch” when they could no longer volunteer. She told The Current,
Volunteers are the Rainbow over our Community – supporting, caring and giving … building a healthy compassionate future for all. We wanted them to feel appreciated for all their gifts of service but to also feel proud of the impact and value they add to the agencies and to individuals.
Trisha Sammon, CEO of Valley Manor Long Term Care, said,
Valley Manor attributes much of its success and autonomy to the generosity of our beloved volunteers. Our volunteers are pillars in the community and they strengthen our organization. They lead by example and always have a smile on their faces. Valley Manor would not be able to provide the robust activities and entertainment that we do without the assistance of the volunteers.
Joanne King, CEO of Barry’s Bay and Area Home Support, and also Chair of the Board for St. Francis Memorial Hospital, said,
As emcee for the day, and as the event sponsor, it was truly a beautiful event that brought the face of volunteering in our health service agencies to life. Volunteers from 5 to 95 were in full force and there was a great conversational buzz in the air, as people took the opportunity to catch up with long-time friends.
Joanne King (above) said a full turnout would not fit into the Legion, and if they invited all community volunteers in other areas they would need the arena. Photo Travis Richards, TRO.
All the organizations want to sustain and grow their volunteer community. Application forms to become a volunteer are featured on each website if you want to become part of this essential team. Click BELOW to learn more about volunteering at these Valley organizations:
Barry’s Bay and Area Home Support
Madawaska Valley Hospice and Palliative Care
St. Francis Memorial Hospital Auxiliary Association
