Community Health (Page 7)

Eight years ago, Janis Mack retired from her 42-year career as a pharmacist and began volunteering with the Red Cross Health Equipment Loan Program (HELP) in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. HELP provides community healthcare equipment loan services in 75 locations across B.C. and Yukon to people recovering from illness or injury or wanting to spend their final days at home.

Being part of the Canadian Red Cross Friendly Phone Program in Saskatchewan isn’t about talking on the phone, says long-time volunteer Brad Hebert.
 “I don’t really talk on the phone a lot,” he thought when he first considered volunteering for the program. “But what I found out was that you don’t need to be a good talker; you need to be a good listener.”
 

Meet Igor, a volunteer for the Red Cross Meals on Wheels program in St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Getting outside during the COVID-19 pandemic can be a boon for both body and mind, but not everyone is lucky enough to live near nature or have the means to get there. That’s why Altrusa International of Nanaimo decided to distribute bus tickets and maps to people in need - along with masks and hand sanitizer - to help them connect with the outdoors.

For me, knitting is one of those things that does wonders for my mental health, now more than ever.
As the pile of my so called “pandemic projects” and “COVID cast-ons” grew, I couldn’t help but connect the dots to other times when my chosen hobby played a part during history.

Ololade (Lola) Ogunsuyi has discovered her niche working with the Canadian Red Cross as a site manager, supporting residents and staff at long-term care homes in Ontario. With her penchant for sharing knowledge and solving problems, Lola has instilled confidence in teams as they work to turn the tide against COVID-19.

When the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a year ago, it didn’t take long for newcomers to Canada to start knocking harder on the door of the Battlefords Immigration Resource Centre in Saskatchewan.
“People were being laid off from work. Families were struggling to make ends meet. One lady was crying. She had no food to feed her family. We basically pulled funding out of our reserve fund and gave her some money."

The Canadian Red Cross was founded in 1896, and since the very beginning women played a crucial role. To mark International Women's Day on March 8, we‘re going  back in time from the beginning of the Red Cross to celebrate the victories, big and small, of women in Canada.