Volunteer Spotlight

Meet Arlene. Arlene has been volunteering with LSCO as an admin and special events volunteer for the past 9 months. The staff here at LSCO love seeing her smiling face; she is wonderful asset to our volunteer team!
Arlene is an incredibly dedicated worker. Before her retirement, she held a diverse range of positions, including roles at the Lethbridge Herald, owning her own specialty grocery store, managing a condominium, and serving as a caregiver for 25 years. Originally from the Philippines, Arlene also spent 15 years working as a secretary before making Canada her home. Her varied career reflects her empathy and compassion, strong work ethic and commitment to excellence in every role she undertook.
When she isn’t volunteering, Arlene enjoys taking her dog for walks and is an active member of a local walking group. If she were to win 10 million dollars, her first wish would be to travel, starting with a trip to the Philippines to reconnect with her family. “I want to explore more of the Philippines and visit other places here in Canada,” she shared. Arlene also expressed that she misses the delicious food from her home country.
Arlene truly enjoys her volunteering experience at LSCO. Her enthusiasm for typing is evident, and we greatly appreciate her contributions in our administrative role. When asked about her motivation to volunteer, Arlene replied with heartfelt simplicity, “I just want to help; whatever I can do! I don’t want to sit around doing nothing.” This selfless attitude not only reflects her generous spirit but also inspires those around her. Arlene stated, “When you volunteer, if you put your heart in it you will enjoy yourself. You don’t have to be paid to be happy.” We couldn’t agree more! Thank you Arlene for generously giving LSCO your time and commitment.
Is there a volunteer that you think deserves a special shout out? Nominate a volunteer for a Monthly Spotlight by chatting or sending an email to Bonnie at bjensen@lethseniors.com

Introducing Barry and Terry! This delightful couple has been volunteering with LSCO Meals on Wheels (MOW) for two years. They are incredibly dependable and always eager to help out in a pinch. Terry shared, “When an extra shift comes up and we’re asked, ‘Can you help?’ we always say, ‘SURE!’” They began their volunteering journey with MOW because they wanted to find a meaningful daily activity, and their church suggested the opportunity. The rest, as they say, is history. Barry added, “Instead of sitting around in our condo, we prefer to get out into the fresh air and help people. It’s so gratifying.”
Barry and Terry met at their church and are celebrating their 12th wedding anniversary this month. Until recently, they celebrated their anniversary monthly—Happy 144th month anniversary, Barry and Terry! When asked, “Is there a person in your life who inspires you to be a volunteer?” Barry pointed to Terry—SO CUTE! They truly are the sweetest.
Outside of their volunteer work at LSCO, Barry keeps busy with golf and shooting pool, while Terry enjoys painting with acrylics and watercolors. They love spending time at LSCO and appreciate the kindness of everyone here. They also enjoy shopping at the LSCO Boutique and have bought several handmade items.
When asked what they would do if they won 10 million dollars, Terry responded, “I’d put a lot of it into this community at LSCO because there are so many seniors who need this friendship. I’d invest it here.” LSCO hopes Barry and Terry win a fortune (Haha!). They thoroughly enjoy all the LSCO events and always get tickets for Mother’s Day. Terry also gave a shout out to our Chef, Lachlan, saying, “And the Chef—oh my—the meals are wonderful!” Barry and Terry are great supporters of LSCO and amazing advocates for the MOW program.
Barry and Terry both agree that the best part about volunteering with LSCO MOW is “meeting the people.” Barry noted, “The people are well worth it. You meet the most interesting individuals.” Terry shared that they developed a meaningful connection with one person through MOW, who later moved to St. Therese. Terry continued visiting her there, saying, “She appreciated the extended friendship.”
In response to why others should consider volunteering, Barry and Terry highlight the importance of supporting seniors in our community. They believe it’s essential to care for the pioneers and older generations who came before us and find it incredibly rewarding to form friendships with MOW participants. Barry and Terry truly love being part of the Lethbridge community, and we are so grateful they are! Thank you Barry and Terry for making a difference!

Ayoola is one of our new youth summer volunteers. She is currently a grade 12 student. She is incredibly ambitious and is taking summer
school classes. One of her classes has a component called “Faith in Action” where the students are asked to go out into the community and use their talents and abilities to help others through volunteer work with a not-for-profit organization. Ayoola chose LSCO as her placement; she is very friendly and hard working and we couldn’t be more happy to have her here with us.

Ayoola said that the best part about her experience so far here at LSCO is the people. She emphasized, “I love how nice they are, and I like
hearing their stories about their lives and experiences. It just makes this place such a great environment”.

Ayoola has wonderful stories to share too. For example, Ayoola was born in Toronto, Ontario. She lived in Toronto until after preschool, then she moved with her family to Nigeria. In Nigeria she finished Grades 1 through 4; after which, they moved back to Toronto for grade
5 before settling in Lethbridge the following year. She will be graduating High School next year. In her free time, Ayoola said she likes to “play tennis, hang out with friends, go to the mall, watch movies, try new restaurants, and sometimes work out.” If Ayoola won a million
dollars, she would buy her dream house, and maybe a car too.

When asked about what motivates her to volunteer, Ayoola acknowledged that she has all the things she could wish for. She said, “It’s me wanting to… And even though I can do so little, I can still help by volunteering or helping people through stuff. It just makes me happier
because I’m not just doing it for myself, but I’m doing it for other people.” Ayoola has a great attitude to be around. Giving back truly does help the receiver and the giver.

Ayoola says it is her dad who inspires her. She explains, “He is always pushing me to be better, especially experience wise – he is always pushing me to try new things or do better in certain things. He motivates me and gives me advice.” Ayoola’s Dad must be so proud of
her. Ayoola has jumped both feet into multiple volunteer roles. She has volunteered in the kitchen washing dishes, and helping with Meals on Wheels food prep, as well as one of our first “Greeters” in our new volunteer opportunity.

We could all learn so much from Ayoola’s response to what she would say to someone who is considering volunteering, “Just do it, because
you never know what could really happen. For me, for instance, I didn’t know if I wanted to volunteer, but it was a mandatory thing, and
I did it. Just come with an open mindset because you definitely learn a lot of things, whether it’s experience or stories.” This was such a
heartwarming response. It was such a pleasure to get to learn more about Ayoola.

We have been enjoying getting to know our volunteers through our monthly spotlight. Please reach out to Bonnie at bjensen@lethseniors.
com or at the Support Services desk to nominate a volunteer for our future monthly spotlights.

Blayne has been volunteering for LSCO for many years. Currently Blayne helps out in the dining room and kitchen supporting the staff by washing down tables, wiping out the Meals on Wheels cooler bags, and putting away dishes. Blayne is dedicated to his role, and he is always willing to lend a helping hand.

Blayne is a happy guy. He always greets everyone with a great big smile. Blayne inspires those around him. Not only does he inspire us, he also feels inspired by many of the great people in his life, past and present. Blayne would like to recognize his friends and family –specifically his sister, Jill, and her family, Rob Miyashiro, the Executive Director here at the LSCO, his friends at the ARC, his keyworker, his roommate Jim, and his really good buddy, Wayne, from junior high who Blayne says “he was like my brother I never had”.

Blayne’s favourite thing about volunteering is all the people. All the people he sees that he knows, and all the people he gets to meet.
When Blayne isn’t volunteering, he is spending time with his family – he loves being an uncle. Blayne likes to tease and be teased. He said, “If they give me a hard time, I give them a hard time right back.” Blayne also enjoys playing cards. Blayne really enjoys volunteering and thinks other people should give it a try too. He said, “If you give back into it a little bit, and you like it, why not do it! Don’t stop! Just
keep on going.”

Thanks Blayne for all you support here at LSCO.

Joanne and Ben have been volunteering with LSCO for over two decades now. Like many of our wonderful volunteers, Joanne and Ben are committed and dependable. They truly love to give of their time and share their talents with LSCO. They believe that one of the most important things LSCO does for people is giving them the space to get out and meet others, socialize, then later at home they will have a good memory of what they did.
In the past Joanne and Ben have volunteered in the Kitchen. They were also regular Meals on Wheels volunteers until just recently when Ben sustained an injury; however, Ben is getting a bit better with each passing day. When he is ready Joanne and Ben would like to deliver Meals on Wheels again.
Joanne continues to keep busy with her other weekly volunteer role with LSCO at Winner’s Bingo helping raise essential funding. Joanne not only volunteers at Winner’s Bingo for LSCO but other charities too! She is truly remarkable. Joanne puts it beautifully when she said she volunteers because, “It feels good. It’s more for me. It helps me rather than somebody else as it gives me a feeling of accomplishment and something I’m proud to do… It feeds me. It is what I need to do.”
Ben’s favourite thing about volunteering is “the feeling you get”. It truly is a great feeling, isn’t it?!
It has been lovely getting to know Joanne and Ben. They both have a wonderful sense of humour as they joked around about how their daughter inspires them to get out and go shopping when she comes to visit. But in all seriousness, they truly feel inspired by their daughter, who is a go getter, and passes on her great energy to them. Joanne said, “She knows how to get you going.”.
To those in the community thinking about volunteering, Joanne and Ben suggest, “Do it! Give it a try.”, “You gotta try!” Joanne says her motto is, “You get what you give” – Joanne and Ben are true to this inspiring motto. Joanne said, “It’s not about the free lunch, it’s about feeding the soul”.
Thank you, Joanne and Ben. We here at LSCO feel fortunate to have you as volunteers. We feel equally lucky to have so many other
wonderful volunteers on our volunteer team and we will continue to be spotlighting volunteers monthly.

If you would like to nominate a volunteer for the monthly spotlight, please contact our volunteer coordinator, Bonnie at 403-320-2222 ext 202 or by email at bjensen@lethseniors.com

Meet some of our Team of Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) Volunteers, Eleanor Doerksen, Carmen Gfrerer, Pat
Kincade, and Corrie Krueger. These committed volunteers have spent the months of March and April actively filing over 400 tax
files for low income members of our community and surrounding areas and we cannot thank them enough for their wonderful
support in helping LSCO offer this program.

Q: How long have you been volunteering with LSCO?

Eleanor: I’ve been preparing tax returns since 2015, maybe 2016.
Carmen: Approximately 1 month.
Pat: I have been doing volunteer income tax for 15 years at LSCO. I have done it professionally in the past and when the opportunity came along to take the training and become a volunteer, I was excited to do so.
Corrie: This is my 2nd year.

Q: What motivates you to be a volunteer?

Eleanor: Volunteering is one way to help others. It also is a benefit for me as it keeps me out in the community, meeting people, using my brain.
Carmen: I understand the benefits for low-income individuals and seniors to have their income taxes completed and access all the income they are eligible for. Having a company do simple tax returns can be very expensive for those on a fixed or limited income. Since I very much enjoy tax preparation, I figured I could give back in this simple way.
Pat: I love the challenge of doing income tax returns.
Corrie: It feeds my soul to volunteer!

Q: What’s your favourite thing about volunteering?

Eleanor: Volunteering helps me feel useful.
Carmen: Knowing I can use my skill to make someone’s life a little bit easier.
Pat: I love the people I meet.
Corrie: It not only feeds my soul, but it helps someone else out.

Q: Who influenced or inspired you to volunteer and/or give back to others?

Eleanor: Another accounting technician with whom I worked at MNP retired a year before I did and started preparing tax returns under
the CVITP at the Norbridge Seniors Centre. She encouraged me to join her. When I retired the following year, I decided that I would also prepare tax returns for low income people, but chose to do so at LSCO.
Carmen: My mother-in-law has always valued community and taught me the importance of giving back. She has a way of lighting up a room and making others feel special and I hope to pass a little of that light on myself.
Pat: There was a bridge player named Jack, who I played bridge with. Jack also did income tax and that is how I learned about the
program and became a registered volunteer. He was always working on returns (paper in those days) during bridge and so I asked
questions about how to become involved.
Corrie: I had an amazing soccer coach in my teens who showed me how fun volunteering was and how much he got out of it. He inspired me by showing how enjoyable it was!

We could not do what we do here at LSCO without our volunteers — These amazing Income Tax volunteers truly make a remarkable difference as they carried us through the income tax season.

 Sharlene Peterson has been volunteering with Community Connect since 2019. Community Connect is a program that provides safety and connection to Senior’s in our community through regularly schedule phone calls and social interactions.

Sharlene also currently volunteers at schools reading to young people who need help developing their reading and English skills. “Volunteering gives you a good feeling,” she says. “If you’re having a poor day, you can just make someone’s day better,” and that helps her feel better in kind.

Giving back her community and others is important to Sharlene, and she challenges herself when working with someone who is having a difficult time, to help that person have a better day and feel more positive. It’s a win-win situation. “There is so much in the world that doesn’t make one feel good, but one always feels good when they help someone.”

Another important aspect of volunteering is that it has a way of humanizing those who she might have otherwise overlooked. It allows her to connect and associate with those she may not have while developing compassion for others in more difficult or unfortunate situations. Volunteering has shown Sharlene that you don’t need a lot of common ground to build a relationship, just an invested interest in getting to know the other person.

Sharlene was inspired to give back by her mother who gave a lot of time to her neighbors and the people around her by baking
for them and helping in her community. Her mother was always able to see the positive side of things, something she passed on to Sharlene and which serves her well in her volunteering with LSCO.

She says if someone wants to volunteer, they have nothing to lose and a lot to gain by doing so. People often underestimate the difference they can make in someone’s life and the community in general, so she encourages everyone to give it a try.

Barb Dodd had always wanted to devote more time to volunteering within the Lethbridge community, but being a busy mom
raising kids, helping with the PTA, and working did not leave her enough time for all of the volunteer work she wanted to do.

However, volunteering is in her blood, having come from a small town that relied heavily on local volunteers, so she decided after retirement to donate her time to our Drive Happiness Program and the Good Samaritans.

Barb really enjoys working with and helping the seniors here in our community and knows that sometimes seniors can become the forgotten people of society. It’s important to her that she does what she can to help them feel cared for and supported. After all, she says “we will all be there one day.” Having lost her grandparents, spending time with seniors can feel a bit like having grandparents again, and she truly values that.

Also, she is sometimes able to bring her adult son who is special needs when she drives, which allows for meaningful interaction and connection for both her son and the seniors she drives for.

Barb says it’s always interesting and entertaining to hear the stories of those she drives for; she’s even been serenaded, having one person sing her rendition of Mercedes Benz by Joni Mitchell during a trip! Ultimately, she enjoys giving her time while getting to know and connect with those she drives for.

The flexibility of the scheduling of Drive Happiness makes it easy to negotiate her many recreational activities around her volunteering. According to Barb, if you’re looking for something that is flexible and allows you to give back, driving for Drive Happiness is the way to go!

Veronica has been volunteering with LSCO for 8 years doing dishes, food prep, bingos, and (more recently) sitting on the Board of Directors.

She considers LSCO to be her second family and loves to watch the groups of seniors coming together here at the center to find a sense of community and belonging. Veronica started volunteering at LSCO right after her retirement as a way to keep busy and engaged. “I knew that if I didn’t have something planned to do, I would just sit at home and watch TV.” Since she had been volunteering in the community since she was in her early 20’s, taking on volunteer roles in retirement was a logical step.

Seeing our member’s smiling faces and having the chance to turn someone’s bad day into a good day with a smile and a kind
word are some of her motivations for volunteering here.

She sees a lot of men and women with spouses who have moved on gathering at LSCO regularly to talk and socialize, and
she honestly feels like if LSCO wasn’t here, these people wouldn’t have a place to go. “It’s so important to be with people,” she
says, and she loves how we encourage people to be together and support one another.

Veronica says that she hasn’t found one person here who she can’t see some good in, and that she always tries to look for the
positive when she can. Veronica’s late husband got her into volunteering nearly 40 years ago. She started with Sparks (Girl Guides Canada) because her husband volunteered for Beavers, and they continued volunteering in the community from then on.

Her message to anyone looking to volunteer is that they should come to LSCO and talk to the volunteer team because we can always use people. “It’s selfless but not,” she says, because while we are helping people, it also gives a great feeling.

Thanks, Veronica, for all that you do here at LSCO. 

To nominate a volunteer for the spotlight series, contact the volunteer team.

Jon and his partner in crime, Toby the dog, have been volunteering for LSCO for about a year now as regular drivers for the Meals on Wheels program.

Jon moved from Ontario last year where he also volunteered with a community Meals on Wheels program there. Before that, Jon drove semi-trucks across Canada and the United States and enjoyed his travels to Alberta. After his mother passed away, Jon decided it was time to give Alberta living a try.

As many of our volunteers, Jon is a dependable asset to the volunteer team. On top of supporting the Meals on Wheels program, Jon has become one of the go to guys for random tasks such as helping with the recycling and making other important deliveries to seniors in the community.

Jon is ALWAYS willing to give of his time to support the LSCO and other organizations in the Lethbridge community. Jon learned from his experiences looking after his aging parents the importance of seniors being able to age in place and live in their homes as long as possible, if that is what they wish to do.

Jon explained that Meals on Wheels is a cause that he supports and is passionate about and for Jon it’s not only about getting those nutritious meals to the clients, but also a friendly visit. Jon says, “it can be lonely when you’re by yourself. Just going door to door and saying “Hello” for some of these people it is the only time they get to see somebody.”

Jon really goes above and beyond when he delivers the meals on his route; he enjoys hearing about the history and stories from the people he meets. Jon mentioned that one older gentleman he delivers to enjoys keeping him up to date and informed about the Calgary Flames hockey team. Jon’s favourite thing about volunteering with LSCO Meals on Wheels is getting to meet and know people, plus he enjoys driving around the city with Toby – Toby likes it too!

Jon attributed his inspiration for generously giving his time as a volunteer to his grandparents and parents. His Grandparents went through the great depression and his grandfather was very giving to those who were struggling. His Dad started working at about 14 years old and had an amazing work ethic that he passed on to Jon. Yet, the most profound experiences that inspires and continues to motivate Jon to give, was helping care for his aging parents – His mother graduated from this life about 5 years ago, and his father 15 years before that from Alzheimer’s.

Jon emphasized, “It’s not a job. Volunteering is enjoyable.” Jon explained, “I think giving back to the city is important, because at some point in your life – down the road – you might need that support…. Volunteering at LSCO, everything is very organized and well structured. It only takes an hour and the routes are planned out for you… It’s just an hour a day. It’s nice to get out and meet people.”

Jon has truly been a pleasure to work with; his willingness to step in and fill a need is heartwarming; he is truly a volunteer
superhero here at LSCO and in the community of Lethbridge.

To nominate a volunteer for the spotlight series, contact the volunteer team.