*Special Father's Day guest blog by Canadian Red Cross volunteer Bonnie Dunn-Carver
Thank you for letting me share with you a little about my Dad, Jack Dunn.
Red Cross Volunteer Jack Dunn was an inspiration to his daughter.
His role with the Red Cross, Sudbury Branch began in 1990. He was a much-loved volunteer driver for the Transportation Program, in addition to the yearly selling of tickets for the Northern Raffle. Dad had an abundance of patience. He would volunteer to sell tickets at the malls, grocery stores and post office. He could sit there for hours on end, even if it were to sell a mere handful of tickets. I learned that he was a record-breaking ticket-seller over the years, selling somewhere in excess of 1,000 tickets a year, making him the highest ticket seller amongst the volunteers across Northern Ontario
His patience was evident in his volunteer driving as well. One story that comes to mind is of a particular client who would routinely cancel at the very last minute. This was happening quite often, and these runs were usually scheduled in the afternoons, which would throw off my Dad’s entire day. Even though this sometimes frustrated him, he continued to accept bookings for this client. I asked him one day why he kept agreeing to accept her runs? He replied: “Because one of these times, she’s really going to need that ride.” In that moment, his compassion, patience, and his generosity with his time, were so evident.
He continued to serve as a volunteer until his passing. He drove his last client, just a week before he passed away last August.
Dad was inspiring. After his passing, I became a volunteer-driver for the Sudbury Red Cross, and I can truly see why he enjoyed it so much: the friendships, the laughs, and the clients are genuinely appreciative of the program, and for the drivers that volunteer their time.