Interior Health is celebrating its thousands of volunteers during National Volunteer Week April 6 – 12. Volunteer Week is an opportunity to recognize and thank volunteers for the work they do to enhance health care delivery throughout the region.

Volunteer recognition events will be held at many local hospitals and residential care facilities throughout the region during the month of April. In other areas, gifts or cards are offered as thanks.

Interior Health is supported by an estimated 4,800 volunteers.

“I really cannot say enough about our volunteers,” said Norman Embree, Interior Health Board Chair.  “We literally could not do what we do without their support.”

Within the Thompson Cariboo Shuswap, Interior Health will celebrate volunteers such as Judy Vigue of Revelstoke. Vigue shares her musical gifts by playing piano each week for residents at Mount Cartier Court residential care facility, and for the Interior Health Adult Day Program at Moberly Manor. A retired registered nurse at Queen Victoria Hospital and a longtime Revelstoke resident, Vigue believes music is a talent with which she has been blessed. If one of her toe-tapping tunes can help put a smile on someone’s face, she’ll be the first one to the piano.

“God gave me the gift of music, so that’s why I go,” said Vigue, who also makes sure she takes time to say hello to every resident while she’s there. “I try to be loyal to these people. Many of the residents know me and always look forward to the singsong.”

Vigue doesn’t limit her volunteering with Interior Health. She is also the organist for Eastern Star meetings, plays before Sunday services at her local church, helps at church events with food preparation, serving and clean up, and spends time helping make dressings for the Cancer Clinic in Kelowna. No doubt, this spirit of volunteerism was what led to her award as Revelstoke’s Citizen of the Year in 2008.

“What an honour that was,” she said. “I am a widow now, since 2000, and I have plenty of time to help in many ways. It makes my heart feel so happy when I make so many people glad to see me.”

National Volunteer Week is Canada’s largest celebration of volunteers, volunteerism, and civic participation. It deserves to be recognized; across Canada 13.3 million volunteers contribute 2.1 billion total hours.

Interior Health is continually looking for special people to help out in a wide range of volunteer roles. Visit www.interiorhealth.ca under About Us > Get Involved for volunteer opportunities in your area.

News from © iNFOnews, 2014