Hi! My name is Marilyn. I’ve been volunteering for the Chilliwack Hospice Society since 2006. I volunteer at the Thrifty Boutique and also enjoy being a part of the annual Gala and Hoedown. I really enjoy my fellow volunteers. We all are like-minded and are volunteering for the same goal – to give back to the community.
I was a “lifer” in the finance industry for 44 years (yikes!) before I retired. I am married and a proud grandparent. In my spare time, I enjoy scrapbooking and making cards.
Hi, my name is Robert. I have been volunteering for Chilliwack Hospice Society since 2017. I was looking for something to do that would serve our community and the manager at the YMCA recommended volunteering at Chilliwack Hospice Society and it seemed like the perfect fit.
Primarily I volunteer at the Thrifty Boutique. I really enjoy the people I work with and the marvelous environment at the store. It’s wonderful serving the public and interacting with them every week. I also help with the Hospice events and enjoy baking treats for the children’s grief groups.
In my spare time I enjoy quilting. I make quilts which I donate to the Cascade Hospice. These quilts are placed on the beds in each room when a new resident arrives at Cascade Hospice Residence. They are then given to the families to keep in memory of their loved one and the time at Cascade Hospice.
Hi! My name is Susan. I volunteer at the Thrifty Boutique as a cashier. When I started this was the position that had the most need and I have enjoyed learning the role and interacting with the customers and other volunteers. I have been a regular volunteer since St. Paddy’s Day in 2021.
Making the choice to volunteer for the Chilliwack Hospice Society was an easy decision. I had several neighbours who volunteered there and said it was a wonderful place to support.
My husband and I moved to Chilliwack 8 years ago and have a son, daughter, granddaughter and two grandsons in Greater Vancouver.
When not volunteering for the Hospice, I can be found walking, gardening, scrapbooking, grandparenting, and volunteering for the Chilliwack Learning Society as a Silver Surfer – oh…and drinking wine!
Hello! My name is Sarah. I became a volunteer at Chilliwack Hospice Society in 2016. I wanted to learn more about the dying process, how I could play a role in improving the experience for individuals and families, and the ways in which we could better support one another through grief and loss.
I have had the privilege to volunteer with Cascade Hospice Residence, Children’s Grief Groups, One-on-One bereavement support, fundraising, community education, as well as the Vigil Outreach Team. My favourite area of service is through the Horse Whisperer Grief Camps. The day is packed with activities, and we have so much fun. Most importantly, as we come together in community, kids realize that they are not alone in their grief and loss. It’s one of the most special days of the year.
Volunteering is about showing up for one another within our unique skill sets and strengths. I invest in Chilliwack Hospice Society because I know that our community needs greater support and services in these areas of life.
Hi, my name is Marjorie. I started volunteering at Hospice in 2002 after I retired from nursing and following the unexpected death of my youngest brother Dennis on Mother’s Day. He was only 52 years old. He was a fun brother and an awesome veterinarian, and his death rocked our family to the core.
I was honoured and fortunate to participate in the Strategic Planning sessions when Chilliwack Hospice first became a Society and was able to influence the expansion of the original Relaxation Program. I have really enjoyed the team spirit of this program, coaching the new volunteers, and seeing team members grow in confidence as they embraced the various energy-based practices we offer. Giving and receiving energy-based sessions has been a practice I have enjoyed since the early 1980s. Being a nurse educator throughout my career, I have always been interested in the felt experience of the patient as well as why they were receiving care. It’s been my passion to offer comfort from the anxieties and fears that are aroused when people face life-threatening issues. The Relaxation Program addresses the whole person, Mind, Body and Soul, and I have found Hospice to be the one place where there is the time to offer the gentle and somewhat time-consuming touch that no longer exists in acute care settings. We know that the Mind, Body and Soul cannot heal when stressed and our program has been very helpful to offer the mindset and environment to offer the stillness and gentleness of presence and touch to facilitate the body’s reparative abilities. The Relaxation Program has not been running during the Covid-19 pandemic, but I have continued to volunteer for Hospice in other ways. Recently I volunteered to lead a ‘cooking-for-one’ Educational Workshop at the Society along with Laurie McNaught called the “Comfort of Soup”.
I am blessed to be the mother of Jennifer who lives in Ottawa and has gifted me with 3 wonderful grandchildren. I’m not too thrilled that they are so far away, and I consider myself part owner of at least the wing of a WestJet plane by now! I live with my partner Ron, who sometimes thinks he is the last one in the food chain after a pampered cat named Lucy and Chihuahua named Bella.
I am a lifelong learner, love to read, go to senior yoga, spend time with friends, grow things in my garden, watch cooking programs and look through cookbooks. I make a lot of soup, take naps (one benefit of being a senior!) and enjoy mentoring which I still do from time to time because I like to talk apparently. 😊
Hello, I’m Verna. I returned to my hometown of Chilliwack in 2014 and started volunteering for the Chilliwack Hospice Society shortly after. I volunteer in the Hospice office weekly, plus I support clients both in the hospital and the community. I also enjoy working on fundraising committees and have made several friends doing this. I have no family in Chilliwack, but the Hospice family has become my family.
Besides volunteering at Hospice, during pre-Covid days, I also volunteered at a seniors’ facility and at my church. I am on the Board of the Heritage Chilliwack Society. I am very happy to give back to the city I call home.
Hi, we are Marilyn and Kerry. We have a long history of volunteering with school, work, and church activities so when we hit our retirement years, with more time to give, it just made sense to continue. The desire to give back to the community was instilled in us by both our parents.
A suicide in the family brought us in close contact with the Chilliwack Hospice Society whose help for our whole family made it an obvious volunteer choice. In 2018, we took the Basic Hospice Training program to be able to devote time at Cascade Hospice. The chance to meet, listen and share life stories has enriched us more than we can say.
When we are not with family (two children and five grandchildren) and friends, you will see us volunteering at Cascade Hospice.
I am Julie. I volunteer at Thrifty Boutique as well as for the Chihuahua Club of BC and the Canadian Chihuahua Club. I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that my time is going to a worthwhile cause. I have worked at Thrifty Boutique for a little over ten years. I volunteer here because the money raised goes to help many in the community with different services free of charge.
I am a recent widow with three children and four grandchildren. I live with my two rescued chihuahuas who keep me company. In my spare time I like to cook and bake for my family, neighbours and friends. I also love to do jigsaws and crochet. My aim in life is to make at least one person smile every day. If I do that, then I am happy.
Meet Barry and Carmen, they volunteer at the Thrifty Boutique. Barry works in the back with receiving donations and sorting. He gets to meet the donors and many times hears the stories behind the items coming in. Carmen is at the other end of the system working as a cashier.
A few years ago while shopping at the Thrifty Boutique, they realized the good that was being done as the proceeds from the store went to support the programs offered by the Hospice Society. So they decided to start volunteering in November 2019.
After each of them lost their spouse, they met in January 2010 and eventually married in July 2016. They realized that they had many interests in common, such as travelling, gardening, and camping, and being on the water. Barry is an avid fisherman and Carmen paddled dragon boat for many years. Now they camp and fish in local lakes in the summer and volunteer in the winter.
Hi, my name is Lise. Along with my husband, I am now retired and living in Sardis. I started volunteering at the Chilliwack Hospice Society Thrifty Boutique in 2012 when a neighbour of mine who was already volunteering asked if I wanted to as well, so I said, “Yes, of course!” It is such a good cause and I love meeting all the customers that shop here. All the staff and volunteers are great! In my spare time, I like to sew & knit, and I also volunteer with Blood Services.
Hi, my name is Darlene. As I approached retirement, it was obvious that I would need to find something purposeful to fill at least a few hours. In 2008, I took early retirement from the Calgary Board of Education and moved to Chilliwack. A year later, I began working with the Chilliwack School District, retiring for a second time in 2015. I then started looking into volunteer opportunities at the hospital, Community Services, and the Hospice Society. Before Covid-19, I also tutored learners in English and reading.
My life experiences have made me very aware of the needs of those experiencing end-of-life and the difficulties of grieving a loss, whatever it may be. The Hospice Society gives me the opportunity to use that acquired knowledge in a positive way working one-on-one with clients, patients at Cascade Hospice and reception at the office.
Spending time with family is a very important part of my life, especially with my son who lives in Washington State.
Hi, my name is Sandy. I started volunteering at the Thrifty Boutique in 2015. I chose to volunteer and support the Hospice Society as I had family members in hospice as well as being a breast cancer survivor myself. Volunteering at the store is the best! I love the comradery of the other volunteers – they are a great crew to work with. The customers are so friendly and supportive.
I am married and have 2 daughters, 2 stepsons, and 5 grandchildren. I enjoy several hobbies: beading, scrapbooking, knitting, crocheting, and sewing.
Hello, my name is Marja. My family (husband and our 3 children) emigrated to Canada from the Netherlands in 1988. Shortly after arriving we welcomed our fourth child; life in Canada has been good to us. With four kids and our own agriculture business, it was always a busy and exciting time for us. Now our children are grown, married and have children of their own. We have 9 amazing grandchildren between the ages of 1 and 9 years old. They are so much fun!
In May 2007, my Dad, in the Netherlands, died. For me, that was the beginning of something that I did not really understand before: grief. It was a hard road for me and living so far away did not make it any easier. By this time all our children had moved out of the house and I felt kind of lost. Then I saw an ad in the paper for Chilliwack Hospice Society; I went for a visit and later I signed up to take the Hospice volunteer training. Soon after, I started to volunteer at the hospice on a regular basis. Cascade Hospice was always such a good place to be. The hospice is not a hospital. Volunteers are there for the patient, and sometimes even more so for the family of a patient, and it is such a privilege. To be able to help people in hospice, to make dying and death a little less scary, to give people a feeling of home and a sense of normalcy during a difficult time is something I care deeply about. I always feel honoured to sit with people and talk with them, supporting them along their journey.
Another part of the work I do is with the vigil team. Having someone available to come and sit in a vigil for a loved one is very comforting for families, knowing that there is someone watching over their loved one when they cannot be there themselves.
Sometimes life throws curveballs – my husband had cancer and it was too challenging for me to be at hospice while I was facing cancer at home as well. Then when my mother died, I needed time away to do my grieving for her as well. Now that my husband is well, I am happy to be back at Cascade Hospice helping again. And of course, we have lots of babysitting and playdates with our grandchildren, which we love to do! We are blessed to have many people around who care for us and support us. I know that is not how it is for many people, and that is one more reason why I love going to the hospice. I love to be able to give of my time and help others.
Everyone who works and volunteers with Cascade Hospice is awesome; they all support and care for one another. We meet on a regular basis and we share and talk about our lives, about Hospice, and about the work that we do there. Being part of The Chilliwack Hospice Society is an important part of my life, and volunteering at Cascade Hospice feels right and good.
Hi, my name is Terri and I volunteer at the Thrifty Boutique. I started volunteering in November 2019. I chose to volunteer for the Chilliwack Hospice Society because I had a niece in the hospice, and I wanted to give back.
I am retired but my husband is still working. Volunteering at the store gets me out of the house and I have met some amazing people and it’s a fun atmosphere to be in.
In my spare time, I like gardening, canning, cooking and puzzles.
My name is Martha. I have been involved as a Hospice volunteer since 2013 after spending my life in a chosen profession of nursing for 51 years. My mother instilled in me the need and reward of “caring volunteering”. Death in a large family situation was not foreign to me and we were not sheltered from the realities of it.
In my career, I had a special “feel” for terminal patients, giving support and dignity to them and their families. My volunteering weekly at Cascade Hospice offers me the same opportunity to interact with clients and extended families & friends with reassurance and a listening ear. I love the “hominess” of the Cascade facility. Many of the small niceties can be met by us Cascade volunteers – rearranging bedside areas, offering drinks, observing cards, pictures & mementos brought from home, or just offering companionship. When newly arrived, we assist in acquainting clients and families to the facility and reinforcing its values. When death does occur, we offer comfort, nearness, and the assurance that nothing will be rushed in their grief time.
Hi, my name is Susan. I joined the Thrifty Boutique in 2010. I had shopped many times there and found the place to be inviting and friendly. As I was new to this area and had been volunteering all my life, I felt that this store would be a good fit for me.
Funny that I would end up working at sorting & pricing clothes as I am the least fashionable person going……but that is mainly where I work in the back sorting room where we have lots of fun and laughs. I also look after the “Seasonal Storage Room” fondly called “Susan’s Christmas Room” by my backroom pals. I enjoy the friendly people. We are all a great team working for a great cause.
I have three sons and 9 grandchildren. My eldest lives in Langley and is involved in the movie industry. My middle son has a farm in Alberta and drives a logging truck. My youngest lives in Langley and is a firefighter. We are an active outdoors family enjoying skiing, fishing, hiking, quading, hunting, horseback riding. In my spare time, I head to the gym and exercise classes or for long walks. I am a voracious reader and doer of crossword and jigsaw puzzles. I also cross stitch.
Important in my life are my friends…lots of time with friends and the occasional glass of wine. Volunteering makes my heart smile!!
Hi, my name is Debra. My first volunteering with Chilliwack Hospice Society was through my work at Scotiabank. Naturally, they got me to come and count money for big events! I think many of us has been touched by a personal experience through Cascade Centre, leaving a lasting memory of the kindness and care provided. Not only to our loved ones but ourselves as well. I now volunteer at the Thrift Store, which is fun, and rewarding to give back to the community. I consider them all my friends. As a good Girl Guide says…. make new friends but keep the old, one is silver the other gold.
I am a member of a local Theatre Company, The Chilliwack Players Guild, which takes up lots of my spare time, helping with everything from set construction, painting, props to producing and have occasionally been on stage! The Chilliwack Players Guild also volunteers at Hospice events, dressed up in our finest costumes, to help with what we call “Seating and Greeting”. I also sing with a group of friends; we like to sing acapella and have a fabulous leader who arranges music for us!
My husband and I have 2 kids, one who lives in Montreal and another who lives in Chilliwack.
My name is Vi. I have been a Chilliwack Hospice Society volunteer since 2002. My mother was in Hospice in Calgary and I wanted to understand her path, so I began to volunteer. At first, just in the office and the Quiet room in the hospital, then as my knowledge expanded, so did the fields in which I volunteered. I have also volunteered doing One on One’s, Vigils, Respite, One on One at Hospice with my dog and volunteered with my husband Jim for Hike for Hospice. In 2016 I was honoured to receive from The Chilliwack Rotary Club “The Paul Harris Fellow Award”. Volunteering allows me to show compassion and love of humanity when people need it most.
For 20 years my husband was in the Canadian UN Force taking him to Cyprus, Egypt, Golan Heights, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem while the children and I stayed in Chilliwack. We made this choice so that our five children wouldn’t have to change school districts every three years. Our faith and our love for each other and our families kept us together for 53 years. Jim died in December 2018 leaving 4 children, 18 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. Our son Robert died in 2005.
In my spare time I knit for my family, knit hats for the babies in the hospital, read, walk my dog Penny, enjoy our beautiful province, listen to music and work on whatever craft has hit my fancy at that time and baking.
Hi – my name is Vicki. My friend died at Cascade and the family received support from a caring Hospice volunteer. After the trauma of the death, I felt like I too, could volunteer at Cascade. I took the training and have been there for 10 years. A place that allows a loved one to die with as little pain as possible in an environment that provides a precious gift for family and the patient to say final good-byes in an environment of peace and dignity.
Later I began volunteering with the First Step Grief Group. It provides a safe and caring atmosphere to help family and friends adjust to the new reality without their loved one. Some I’ve known in Cascade. It is such an honor to have their trust to help them deal with their grief. Grief can hurt and confuse us. We so often say in the group, “Everyone in the room gets it” they are all living it. All the emotions are real, none are right or wrong. I learn too, each time we have a group, how to process grief without my loved one.
I have a husband who volunteers at the Thrifty Boutique, he believes as strongly as I do that this is an amazing organization. We are retired and can “give back”. We enjoy our grandkids and yes, our 5 great grandkids. I like to decorate, sew, and do all the things that I never had time to do before retiring. I also love to travel and to bring back memories that are used to decorate our travel room. I felt particularly fortunate last year to visit the first hospice opened at St. Christopher’s in London England. Amazing.
My name is Dorothy. I grew up in South Africa, leaving the country at the age of 19 for my adventure. I ended up in London, England. During this time, I met an Aussie; we married and moved to Australia where we bought a dairy farm. We raised 4 children and eventually moved to Chilliwack where a new lifestyle began. I was able to have a carefree life, while our 3 girls and 1 son were at school.
My children were between the ages of 16 –24 years when my husband of 24 years died very suddenly of Leukemia; this left a big void in my life. I wish I knew about Hospice at the time of his death. Now what do I do? I had heard of Hospice but had no idea what it involved. I did some research and decided this was for me. I knew I was going to be a perfect volunteer. Once the training was over, I started to visit patients in hospital, at first feeling a bit tentative, but I knew this was what I needed to do.
I have been a volunteer for Hospice since 1998. During this time my role as a volunteer has varied a great deal, from heading a Vigil Team to visiting individuals in their homes, hospital and now at Cascade Hospice. My role as a volunteer is to be able to support patients during their stay at Cascade and saying goodbye when they die: it is important for volunteers to “let go” because someone new will be arriving that needs our support. I must be able make the patient feel comfortable when they arrive, and to support the family with that patient. Families need our assurance that their loved one is now in good hands (doctor and nurses) and it is time for them to spend quality time with their loved one.
I love volunteering at Cascade Hospice and always feel after my shift that I have done my best. It is such an honour to be sitting quietly holding a person’s hand as they take their final breath. I hope I can continue volunteering for many more years. Who knows, maybe I will be a patient at Cascade Hospice someday, expecting my volunteer to respect me and to be with me all the way on my next journey.
Hello! My name is Colleen. I volunteer at the Chilliwack Hospice Society as a receptionist and I also volunteer for various events like the Gala, Hoedown, Hike for Hospice and the Tree of Life Celebration at Minter’s store every year.
I became involved with the Hospice Society because my husband passed away from cancer in 2011. After his death at the Hospice residence, I decided to give back in a meaningful way what we had been so blessed to receive and started volunteering for the Society in 2012.
While my husband was ill, I was in the unusual position of being his wife and primary caregiver and everyday became more of a challenge. We could never completely admit to ourselves that my husband was really dying. He wasn’t going to get better and we weren’t going to wake up from this nightmare! Fortunately, we did find some peace while he spent his very last 18 days at the Cascade Hospice Residence in Chilliwack. With the staff and volunteers’ nurturing, loving and compassionate care, their explanations, kind words and support to transition us from living to dying, we realized that my husband was indeed leaving us.
The amazing thing about Hospice care is that it shifts relationships back to their natural ones. I was no longer his nurse but his wife again. Although our two daughters & son were young adults, they were able to be his ‘kids’ again. This was such a relief to all of us but especially for my husband. During one of his very last evenings, our whole family had dinner together & then enjoyed watching the Canucks play from the comfort of his own private room. It almost felt like home!
For my kids and me, being my husband’s caregiver was truly was an act of love. Would I do this all over again? I hope I never have to… although I would but only hand in hand with the Chilliwack Hospice Society. They got us through our darkest days at the end of my husband’s life… and afterwards too as my daughters and I benefited from the Grief Support Step 1 Group. I continued onwards and took the Hospice Volunteer Training. Afterwards, I actually co-facilitated the Volunteer Training for a while & the Caregiver Support training too.
We are so grateful that we let Hospice care into our lives….not only to help us cope with the process of death & dying but also to cope with the process of living!
Hi, my name is Bonnie. I have been married to my husband Ron for 52 great years. We have 3 children, 5 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. We lived and raised our family in New Westminster for 35 years. From 1979 to 1984, I owned and operated 3 consignment stores. One in Surrey and two in New Westminster. Those were fun years. From 1985 to 1997, I worked at Labatt Breweries in the HR department. In 1997, we retired and moved to Cultus Lake where we enjoy daily mountain walks and great friends. Back in 2009, I answered an ad looking for volunteers for the hospice thrifty boutique. The rest is history. I have been volunteering since the store opened. The cause is near and dear to my heart. Volunteering has taught me to be patient, non-judgmental and a good listener. The services and care that hospice provides is amazing. I have met so many nice people over the years, both volunteers and shoppers.
Hi, my name is Elaine. I have been volunteering at Hospice since January 2011. I have 4 grown children, 8 grown grandchildren, 3 step grandchildren and 7 amazing great grandchildren. I live with my beautiful diva cat Lucy.
When my Mom, who lived in Waterloo, Ontario, became terminally ill with cancer I was fortunate enough to be able to go there and spend her last 15 days with her. Her last 8 days were at a beautiful hospice setting and I was so impressed. At that time, I knew very little about hospice and what it meant. However, after this experience with my Mom, I knew that when I retired, I would volunteer in a hospice setting and begin to pay it forward.
I started at the Society office in January 2011 and except for a short ‘absence’, have been doing this ever since. Volunteering with such an incredible dedicated staff has been amazing. Everyone is so appreciative of anything we do and seeing their personal dedication to what Hospice does is heartwarming. The programs and support offered to the local community, free of charge, never ceases to amaze me. I look forward to my hours at the office and seeing the wonderful group of people who work there. I am also fortunate in that my shift is on a day when free relaxation therapy sessions are offered to people in grief. Having developed a relationship with the therapists and the people who attend makes my time there so much more rewarding and pleasant. I love the interaction with everyone doing the sessions and those getting the treatments.
I had also taken the Hospice training, and from October 2011 until November 2015 I also volunteered at Cascade Hospice where the patients are. Again, as in my Mom’s case, seeing the gentle loving care shown to the patients and their family touched me every time I was there. Unfortunately, I lost my husband in a tragic accident in November 2015 and I have been unable to go back to the residence.
I do however continue my volunteer hours at the Society office and helping at some of their fundraising events when I am able. I know they always say how much they appreciate their volunteers, but they make it easy to help them. The picture I have attached is at last year’s Volunteer Appreciation ‘hippy’ dinner – so much fun!!!
