Guest post by Kathryn Dunmore, Red Cross Blogger
April 6-12 is National Volunteer Week. Meet some of the inspiring Red Cross volunteers who help us fulfill our mission in communities across Canada.
When he retired, Jim Lanthier knew he was now able to realize a lifelong desire to volunteer all his free time and chose to help the Canadian Red Cross in
disaster management.
Jim has spent the majority of his life volunteering, including 14 years in search and rescue. He joined the Red Cross almost three years ago and is now a Personal Disaster Assistance volunteer in Timmins and is on the FAST team.
“My goal all my life is to be able to volunteer all my time,” said Jim. “It’s where my heart is and what makes me feel good.”
Residing in Timmins, Jim has been deployed numerous times, including Attawapiskat in 2011, the Alberta Floods for a month last year and most recently to the Toronto Ice storm.
“My family is very supportive of what I do which makes it easy to go on deployments,” he explained. “For the ice storm in Toronto, I helped in the shelters set up across the city. Every time I help somebody, even if it is just one person in crisis, then I’ve reached my goal of giving a sense of hope.”
Being able to help others through the Red Cross is why he loves volunteering his time.
“I volunteer in order to give some type of relief and there is a sense of accomplishment when some type of care is given,” said Jim. “It’s not always what you say or do; it can sometimes just be a shoulder to cry on. What we do makes a difference and that’s why I love the Red Cross so much.”
For more information on volunteering with the Canadian Red Cross, visit
www.redcross.ca/volunteer.