Meals on Wheels. Recreation activities. Flu clinics. Coordinators for ER construction.
If someone’s helping someone in the Northern Health Region, there’s a good chance Brenda Veitch had a hand in making it happen.
For 15 years, Veitch has been the Flin Flon area volunteer coordinator with the Northern Health Region. On Thursday, July 28, she hangs up her phone in her office on the fourth floor of the Flin Flon General Hospital for the last time.
It’s the end of a 31-year career at the hospital for Veitch, who started in payroll then worked in benefits before taking the volunteer coordinator position in 2001. She currently works as volunteer coordinator in the morning and in northern patient transportation in the afternoons. She’s retiring from both positions.
As volunteer coordinator, Veitch recruits and coordinates volunteers for a wide variety of health region functions. “If they call me, I find the volunteers,” she says.
A lot of her time is spent on Meals on Wheels, a program Veitch calls her passion. It delivers meals to people who are shut in, or who need a hot meal they may not be able to provide for themselves.
With over 20 clients on the program, and with meals delivered six days a week, coordinating the service is a big job. Recruiting is important to ensure there are enough volunteers to run the program smoothly.
“I try to keep my volunteer base up there, so that we’re not straining our volunteers that we do have,” Veitch says. “Everybody’s really good about doing what they can do.”
Veitch has also coordinated volunteers for Primary Health Care’s flu clinics, although not for the past couple of years.
She’s been the driving force behind volunteer appreciation luncheons in Flin Flon and Snow Lake, and last year added Thompson and The Pas luncheons to her portfolio.
And when residents of the Northern Lights Manor and the Personal Care Home attend events such as the Flin Flon Rotary Air Show last week, volunteers help make it happen. They also provide recreational activities to residents of those facilities.
Veitch says she has loved the job.
“I’ve worked with so many great people,” she says. “They’ve taught me so much about dedication and giving back.”
She says the job has taught her how great people can be.
“I’ve seen some people just give all,” she says. “As bad as some days can be in life, things we can complain about … there’s always those great people out there that kind of overrule all that.”
And in her role, Veitch has seen the value of volunteering up close.
“I think my volunteers would say that there’s just no feeling like it, doing something for someone else that really needs assistance.”
Her immediate plans after retiring include helping with a family wedding in August.
“After that, we’re going to do some travelling … I’m not sure what the next chapter in life’s going to bring.”
She says she’s looking forward to spending time with family.
But she is going to miss the job.
“I’m going to enjoy retirement, but I’m really going to miss the people. I will be doing some volunteering, so I’ve been telling everybody that I’ll just be on the other side of the fence now. I have been volunteering all along but I’ll have more time to do that now.”
Veitch’s appreciation for her volunteers is on her mind as she prepares to leave her post.
“I want to thank my volunteers for the last 15 years of dedication that they’ve given. It’s just been unbelievable.”
She encourages anyone thinking of volunteering to contact incoming volunteer coordinator Alvera Koop at 204-687-9315.
There will be a tea in Veitch’s honour from 2 to 4 pm on Monday, July 25, in the boardroom on the fourth floor of the Flin Flon General Hospital, for people wanting to wish her well on her retirement.
