Meet Lisa! Lisa has been a volunteer at BSF's Heart Home Network (HHN) for the past two years, supporting the front desk, as well as helping out with special events.
To celebrate National Volunteer Week, we asked her a few questions about her time as a volunteer at BSF:
“I started volunteering at the Brenda Strafford Centre, now Heart Home Network, 2 years ago. While my 3 kids were growing up, I was involved in lots of volunteer work in my community just outside of the city. Volunteering was wonderful and fulfilling and allowed me to meet many wonderful people and develop many new skills, but as my kids grew up and started to move away, I felt the need to do something in a different community. I saw an ad on a website and applied to volunteer at the Front Desk of HHN.”
“I volunteer at the Front Desk twice a week but am sometimes also available for extra shifts or special events. Every time I volunteer, I get to be part of a group of remarkable people - the hard-working and dedicated staff whose days are spent supporting and assisting another group of remarkable people - the residents. At this point in my life, I have skills, energy and time to give, and as a result I can be helpful even in the smallest ways in a place that does really important work.”
“I have many wonderful memories from my time thus far at HHN but what really strikes me during every shift is the admiration I feel for so many of the people I get to see while I’m there. What I hope I bring to the HHN is simply my ability to be a good person with solid common sense who genuinely cares about the people with whom I interact during every shift, whether they be staff or residents. HHN does important work and I feel very lucky to be able to do my small part to make it a welcoming home for the women and children who live there.”
“I would advise a new volunteer to choose a role you know suits you well and then march forward with confidence. Even though it can be overwhelming at the start, you will be well-supported and before long you’ll be walking in for every shift like you’ve been doing it forever, knowing that what you do will be helpful and make a difference. What I’d say to someone looking to volunteer at BSF is “Just apply!” - whatever time and skills you have to contribute will be valued and you will find a purpose that will make you realize that volunteering is actually a bit of a selfish act.”
Join our team as a volunteer and make a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve. To learn more and apply, visit: thebsf.ca/get-involved/volunteer.html