When Dave Schiller decided it was time to retire after 30 years as a school counsellor in London, Ontario, he was looking for his next venture. He found it with the Canadian Red Cross.
“I wanted to retire to something and not just from something,” Dave explains.
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As volunteers, we all give what we can when we can. The Canadian Red Cross could not help those in need without this support and volunteer Rudy Ambtman from Manitoba has a lot to give.
Despite it all, this year brought about inspiring and touching stories that resonated with our readers. We looked at the most popular stories from 2021 and brought them together for us to enjoy again as we end 2021.
Human beings are social creatures, so when someone feels disconnected from that, it can really take a toll on their mental wellbeing. This is where the Canadian Red Cross Friendly Calls Program comes in. It helps people to feel that connection and reminds us that we are all in this together.
Baxter Canada has supported Canadian Red Cross programs for years, helping Canadians when they need it the most, and, despite a global pandemic, has continued to provide support to several programs, including the Mobile Food Bank. Baxter has maintained a steady roster of volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic when volunteer support was limited.
On November 14, Barb Gagnon saw flood waters come very close to her house just outside of Princeton, British Columbia. She was evacuated to a friend’s house with her dog, Daisy, and it wasn't long before she decided to roll up her sleeves “in order to keep my sanity and keep busy,” she says.
The Friendly Calls program was designed to offer a safe, routine place for those feeling isolated or lonely to seek connections. With so many finding themselves feeling lonely, the Friendly Calls program has seen an uptake in participation since the start of the pandemic, with the program itself expanding in many areas across the country.
Brian Boyes is in Kamloops, British Columbia with the Canadian Red Cross as part of the logistics team at the Reception Centre for people evacuated from their homes. He knows what they are going through because he and his wife Angela were two of some 80,000 people who had to flee the wildfire that descended on Fort McMurray in 2016.