NIAGARA, Ontario: Every single day, the Niagara Health System (NHS) relies on its 1,100-strong group of volunteers, whose efforts make a positive difference in so many ways for tens of thousands of patients and families.
The NHS will recognize the individual contributions of these volunteers who come from across the region with a gala appreciation event on Wednesday, April 21, 2010.
Members of the media are invited to attend the event in Niagara Falls from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. to meet the volunteers. The gala event will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 5685 Falls Avenue, Niagara Room. Interviews can also be arranged during National Volunteer Appreciation Week April 18 to 24 with volunteers from a variety of programs and services.
“Quite simply, the hospital could not do what we do without our volunteers,” says President and CEO Debbie Sevenpifer. “Our volunteers are a vital link between the hospital and the community, and their contributions are vitally important to the patient care experience.”
The NHS’s 1,100 volunteers are all ages and come from all backgrounds. They are retirees, youth and working adults who volunteer in Oncology and Emergency among other departments and programs, and provide such services as pet therapy and art therapy. Volunteers share their time, skills and abilities to comfort and support patients, raise millions of dollars to fund capital projects and critical medical equipment, and provide leadership and administrative support.
“This annual gala luncheon is our way of thanking our volunteers for the extraordinary gift of time, skill and kindness they generously give to the NHS and to the residents of Niagara,” says Deb Anderson, a Coordinator of Volunteer Resources with the NHS. “Our volunteers are a special group of people, and we would welcome new recruits for a variety of positions we have at each site of the Niagara Health System.”
People interested in volunteering at the hospital are encouraged to go to the NHS website (niagarahealth.on.ca) and click on the About Volunteeringlink or call the main hospital number (905-378-4647) and ask for Volunteer Resources.
For more information, contact:
Caroline Bourque Wiley
Public Affairs Consultant
905-378-4647, ext. 43113
cwiley@niagarahealth.on.ca
