NIAGARA, Ontario: There are 1,100 people in Niagara who generously give the gift of their time, skill, energy and kindness to patients and staff with the Niagara Health System (NHS). The NHS will recognize the tremendous contributions of these volunteers who come from across the region with a gala appreciation event on Monday, April 20, 2009.
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, Brock Room.
Interviews can also be arranged during the week of April 19 – 25 with the NHS’s Volunteer Resources Coordinators and volunteers from a variety of programs and services.
"Our volunteers are a special group of people whose efforts make a positive difference in so many ways for tens of thousands of patients and families every year," says Deb Anderson, a Coordinator of Volunteer Resources with the NHS. "This annual gala event is our way of thanking our volunteers for the extraordinary gift they give to the NHS and to the residents of Niagara."
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, provide leadership and administrative support.
"Our volunteers contributed a combined total of 135,000 hours last year to our patients and their families, physicians and staff," says NHS President and CEO Debbie Sevenpifer. "Volunteers are an essential part of our health-care team, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of them for their commitment to improving healthcare and the lives of others."
Caroline Bourque Wiley
Consultant, Public Affairs
905-378-4647, ext. 43113
cwiley@niagarahealth.on.ca
