Every Moment Matters - Celebrating the Impact of Volunteers During National Volunteer Week 2024

Melissa (left), Chiara (centre), and Addy (right) sitting together playing a game.

April 15, 2024 - Adrianna “Addy” Bourque is an active resident at Lynnwood who works hard to positively impact her community.

Addy is the Vice President of the Resident & Family Council committee, which is responsible for keeping residents and their families updated with what is going on in the centre and gives them a platform to share ideas, ask questions, or raise any concerns they may have. A lover of nature, Addy tends flower beds and vegetable gardens in the spring and summer months. She can be found outside year-round picking up garbage with her trash picker even though she’s in a wheelchair and has limited use in one of her hands. And she always finds time to play bingo and attend pub afternoons when she can.

But even with all this activity, she sometimes struggles to make connections.

“Despite all Addy’s community engagement, I’m sure she still gets lonely from time to time,” says Renée Vansickle, Coordinator of Volunteer Services at Lynnwood. “She’s occasionally asked for help with the odd thing in her room, like organizing items or hanging a picture and décor, so we wondered if any of our volunteers wanted to visit her on a regular basis and help her out while building a friendship. That’s where Chiara came in.”

Chiara Eigenseher first joined as a volunteer in the 2023 Summer Youth Volunteer program hoping to create relationships, engage in meaningful conversations and activities with residents, and make a difference in the community. When Vansickle approached Eigenseher about coming in to visit Addy every Friday, Eigenseher jumped at the opportunity. She even brought Addy a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

The bouquet of flowers Chiara Eigenseher brought for Addy.

“I had planned to introduce them and visit for twenty to thirty minutes until they were comfortable with each other,” says Vansickle. “But in the five minutes it took for me to find a vase for the flowers, they were already chatting and laughing and taking the elevator down with Melissa Giese to play Skip-Bo in the atrium.”

Much like Addy tends the flowerbeds and vegetable gardens at Lynnwood, volunteers connect with residents and nurture the roots of CapitalCare’s communities. Volunteers dedicated over 30,000 hours in 2023, nourishing communities by taking the time to speak with and listen to residents, helping to organize community events like musical performances or games, and spending time with residents at mealtime or decorating their homes. Volunteers enhance the work of staff and strengthen CapitalCare’s community of care. They support residents to enjoy the things they love and live as independently as possible. Their efforts help to build CapitalCare’s fulfilling and engaged communities.

Volunteers like Eigenseher, residents like Addy, and CapitalCare staff members like Vansickle truly embody the values of person-centred care. By Coming From the Heart and Putting People First, a beautiful friendship was born, and lifelong memories were made. The network of person-centred care connects volunteers, residents, and staff to cultivate relationships and nourish lives, and CapitalCare is excited to honour everyone involved during this year’s National Volunteer Week.

For more information about volunteer opportunities, visit our Volunteers page.