Celebrating service milestones

Volunteers Celebrating 20 and 25 Years-of-Service Milestones

This year, we are thrilled to be celebrating seven individuals who have been volunteers with Hospice of Waterloo Region for 20 or 25 years. Volunteers at Hospice support clients with life-threatening illness, by providing social, emotional and practical supports. Our volunteers may also support the bereaved after their loved one has died. Volunteers also help us with special events and office projects. Simply put, we could not do our work without volunteers.

25 Years

Lorna Fenton, Bernadette Lorentz, Lois Schmidt & Tricia Wands

20 Years

Glenn Jantzi, Cathy Kroetsch & Mary Jo Lyons

20 and 25 years of service – what an incredible gift to the community!

All of these volunteers have kind and caring hearts and are willing to give of themselves to their clients, and they have done that time and time again. They give their support in an authentic way, allowing their clients to lean on them when they need it. We recently saw this meme online that defined kindness as: “Loaning someone your strength instead of reminding them of their weaknesses,” and it made us think of these long-standing volunteers.

Recently, we engaged with our longstanding volunteers to ask them about what they enjoy most about volunteering at Hospice.

This volunteer role is both humbling and rewarding. You learn a lot about yourself, about your own fears and joys, in the training and then as you go along with a client on their journey.

Glenn

The feeling of being present as one’s life comes to an end is of gratitude and privilege.

Lois

It is meeting the clients and families. Helping make their life moments a little more comfortable, peaceful, and enjoyable.

Cathy

We also asked about advice they would give to new volunteers or people considering volunteering for Hospice.

To have an open mind and enjoy the training you are given, along with the many great experiences you will have.

Tricia

Be yourself, listen and trust your instincts. A smile, a touch, a kind word can brighten or soothe a person’s tough moment. People’s life journeys are precious, and teach us all about life, each other and ourselves.