Tim Hortons Volunteers of the Week

Meals on Wheels nominates Sylvia Hooper for Tim Hortons Volunteers of the Week! They wrote ‘Sylvia we want to publicly thank you for your dedication towards delivering meals to our clients, it is an inspiration to others. You do an amazing job and we highly appreciate you and your service as a volunteer and the impact it has made to our community! Thank you.’

Meals on Wheels nominates Carmen Sherlie for Tim Hortons Volunteers of the Week! They wrote ‘Carmen has been volunteering with Meals on Wheels for 4 years now, we know we can count on her positive outlook and helpful caring personality. You do an amazing job and we highly appreciate you and your service as a volunteer and the impact it has made to our community! Thank you Carmen.’

Meals on Wheels nominates Doug Sherlie for Tim Hortons Volunteers of the Week! They wrote ‘Doug has been volunteering with Meals on Wheels for 4 years now, we know we can count on his dependability each winter. Our clients have formed wonderful bonds with him and his wife Carmen and look forward to seeing them each winter. We are truly blessed to have had his time!’

Meals on Wheels nominates Doug Sherlie for Tim Hortons Volunteers of the Week! They wrote ‘Doug has been volunteering with Meals on Wheels for 4 years now, we know we can count on his dependability each winter. Our clients have formed wonderful bonds with him and his wife Carmen and look forward to seeing them each winter. We are truly blessed to have had his time!’

Sunrise Youth Emergency Shelter nominates Ken for Tim Hortons Volunteers of the Week! They wrote ‘Ken has been the soul to our donations for years and we wouldn’t know what we would do without him. Ken drives all over town on his own time and gas collecting bread, cakes, muffins, cupcakes, fruit from businesses and delivers them to organizations in need. Ken comes to the youth shelter first, so the kids have first picks of what bread they want for their sandwiches, what snacks they want to bring to school and always makes sure to put a couple extra goodies aside for us encase there weren’t many donations that day. The youth shelter runs fully on donations and with Ken we never have to worry about baked goods which has been an extreme help over the years. Ken comes every single day and when he is under the weather he still comes to sit in the car and his wife helps drive around and deliver making sure no one is forgotten. Ken deserves to be recognized for his passionate caring heart.’

Centre for Young Parents nominates Josh Penner for Tim Hortons Volunteers of the Week! They wrote ‘Josh has been an incredible addition to our daycare team. He enjoys spending time with his own family, whether it’s hiking, camping, or playing video games together, and when he’s not doing that, he is always up for some daycare escapades. Since Josh joined our team, he has been a major asset. He is always flexible with where he spends his time. Sometimes his day is spent rocking two babies to sleep at the same time, feeding several kids in highchairs or tackling taking our older kids outside. Josh brings a gentle playfulness with him when he enters the room and without fail the kids recognize him and flock towards his exuberant personality. We are extremely grateful to have Josh on our team, he brings a wonderful energy to the room that we are stoked to see more of.’

Grande Prairie Friendship Centre nominates Hayley Breitkreutz for Tim Hortons Volunteers of the Week! Volunteer Coordinator Orren wrote ‘Hayley is a young person who began volunteering with us last fall at one of our “Evening Of Friendship” events. GPFC staff quickly recognized her quiet kindness and work ethic and have been encouraged by it every time we’ve seen her since. Hayley tried volunteering with a few different GPFC programs before settling with Babies’ Best Start, where she volunteers multiple times a week while also finishing her high school education. In April, we’re holding our Volunteer’s Appreciation Banquet. I asked all Program Coordinator’s to invite their top 3 volunteers, and Hayley’s name came up across multiple programs. I think that speaks volumes about who Hayley is as a person, and why she’s more than deserving of the title “Volunteer of the Week” We hope to have Hayley at the Friendship Centre for a long time, but whatever Hayley wants to do with her future, we know she’ll do it with kindness and care, and we’ll support her every step of the way.’

United For Literacy nominates Jackelyn Losie for Tim Hortons Volunteers of the Week! They wrote ‘Jackelyn has been a valued volunteer in our 1:1 Reading Support Program this school year. Her caring nature, sense of humour, and consistent availability created a safe, enjoyable tutoring environment. Working together twice a week, Jackelyn and her student quickly built a relationship that fostered confidence, growth, and a love of reading. Jackelyn will be moving out of the province soon but she plans to continue volunteering with United For Literacy once she is settled. Our organization is so lucky to work with passionate, dedicated community members like Jackelyn. We will be so sad to see her leave but wish her all the best in this next chapter!’

Grande Prairie Centre For Newcomers nominates Larysa Tsymbal for Tim Hortons Volunteers of the Week! They wrote ‘Larysa has only been volunteering with us since the beginning of March but she has been an integral part of our volunteer tax program. She has several years accounting experience in Ukraine and has brought her same passion for numbers to her volunteer role. Although the taxation system is very different, and she continues to improve her language skills she has been able to learn quickly and is working so hard for our program. She comes every weekday to help us with submitting simple tax files for newcomers to Canada. Thank you Larysa for your dedication and invaluable support! We are so thankful for you! Your friendly smile and positive can-do attitude has brought such brightness to our workplace!’

Lyneah with GP Hospital Auxiliary nominates Linda Currie for Tim Hortons Volunteers of the Week! Lyneah wrote ‘I would like to thank Linda for her continual dedication to activities pre and post covid. Linda’s activities include:

• Cuddles babies
• Way finder at the hospital
•  Weekly emergency room support
• Treasurer of the auxiliary board’

Grande Prairie Friendship Centre nominates Mieke De Groot for Tim Hortons Volunteers of the Week! Orren Anderson wrote ‘Mieke inquired about volunteering with the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre last fall as she was navigating early retirement. I sat down with her at a table in our One Window Resource space as she spoke about the transition, and I immediately connected with her and her experience, even as a 30-year-old who’s far from retiring. We spoke of social issues and working in non-profits, and I was grateful for her wisdom and that she was interested in using her newly freed up time with us at the Centre.’

‘Today, Mieke comes to volunteer in the Community Kitchen every Monday she can. Staff love having Mieke around, her positivity and wisdom mean so much to us. She’s been such a great addition to our team, and that’s why I’m nominating Mieke De Groot for volunteer of the week!’

PARDS nominates Heather Knutson for Tim Hortons Volunteers of the Week! They wrote ‘Heather Knutson learned first hand about PARDS programs and while here asked about volunteering. She is very active, taking classes and finding other interests along her way. She said, “Let me check my schedule”, and the rest is history as the saying goes. Heather attended the volunteer orientation for lesson supports and has jumped right in volunteering weekly in lessons as a leader. She has offered support when other volunteers are unavailable, and just recently helped at the AG show at Evergreen Park at the PARDS Petting Zoo. Heather has said, she is open to other opportunities such as events or helping with ticket sales. We are grateful for her support and enjoy seeing her here with us’