Priceless, Not Worthless

No matter if it’s summer or winter, a sunny or rainy day, there is always a white Brentwood van waiting for a group of kind-hearted students outside of Crooks Hall on Sunday afternoon. This year, seventeen grade 10s and 11s have joined the Vancouver Island Health Authority volunteering program. These students are committed to volunteer at either Cairnsmore Place or the Cowichan District Hospital every other Sunday. All the volunteers then experience working at both places as they switch sites after 4 months. At the hospital, the volunteers follow a regular routine. From the south wing to the north wing, they attentively check on the diet sheets and serve drinks to every patient. At the maternity ward, the volunteers make baby beds and cold pads for the expectant mothers; we might even see a newborn if we are lucky. At 5:30 p.m., the dinner cart arrives on each floor and trays of meals are delivered to each room by the candy stripers. “Walking into a room and seeing people smile at you, waiting for you to come close enough so that they can start telling you their stories and giving you life lessons is really rewarding” observed Natalie L, Allard ’15. Volunteering at Cairnsmore is not only about serving drinks and dinners, it is also about spending time with the elderly residents.  On the bus ride back to school, the atmosphere is always filled with laughter and joy for the Brentwood volunteers as they share their stories and experiences of the day.  “Volunteers are not paid – not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless.” Stephanie C, Allard ‘16