By Olivia Robinson
Published May 8 2018

Twelve volunteers received Ontario Volunteer Service Awards at the hospital on May 4 for their years of dedicated volunteerism with Haliburton Highlands Health Services.

The awards commended the commitment of the volunteers with recipients’ years of service ranging from five to 35 years.

The special ceremony was organized in Haliburton since many volunteers weren’t able to attend the original ceremony in Lindsay. Laurie Scott MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock was on-hand to help present the awards.

“You are a community blessed with wonderful volunteers” Scott said. “There’s so much time and energy that you put into the health services and you interact with people not at the best times of their lives. I’ve seen the compassion that you give people when they really need it and that’s not to be understated.”

Brigitte Gebauer volunteer services co-ordinator at HHHS said that these volunteers filled many roles: some were entertainers at long-term care facilities others did fundraising for the auxiliary or offered community support like meals on wheels.

“It’s fantastic that we have so many volunteers –  nearly 350 – and it makes such a big difference to the community” she said.

Gebauer also noted that there are new opportunities for people looking to volunteer through HHHS like being greeters for the emergency room or in acute care.

The list of Ontario Volunteer Service Awards recipients with HHHS are as follows: Rose Connaughan Mary Hambly Irene Houtby Jane Jaycock Wendy Vermeersch Lorraine Virgin Gordon Bird Patricia Bird Edward Hussul Allan Kwasniewski Michelle Moore Rolf Steffensen John Kay Richard Allman Michael Bachynski Barbara Bohlin Marilyn Frost Ronald Lofthouse Brian Barry Cristina Barry David Bathe William Gliddon John Miller Glenda Burk Barbara Messner Leslie Schell Diane Stinson Judith McNeilage Patricia Woodcroft Judith Davis and Marie Pentesco.