No one has been turned away since the inception of the charity and the hope is that no one ever will be.
That’s the expression from the executive that operate the Road to Hope charity and the reason why they have issued the call for more people to volunteer this winter.
Road to Hope uses volunteers who use their own vehicles to drive cancer patients from the region to treatment and other appointments.
Madena Reimer, the charity’s transportation coordinator, explained that while there are some places that have enough volunteers in place, there is a need for more.
“Sometimes, things just happen. We’ve managed so far, but people work and get sick,” Reimer said.
“While we have the most amazing volunteers and we’d love to clone them, you can’t expect them to run 24 hours, seven days a week.
“Lately, we’ve been very busy – even sending two or three different drivers out the same day. We might be okay now, but tomorrow is another day, so we need to increase the number of volunteers that we can draw from.”
The last thing Reimer wants to see happen is having to tell a client they can’t help.
“We are so grateful to have some very kind and compassionate volunteers, but we are now down to one driver in Lac La Biche for the winter,” she said.
“We have never had to turn away anyone and I really don’t want to start now.”
Reimer added it takes a certain type of person to volunteer for them, since it simply isn’t just giving the client a ride.
“It’s someone’s life. Some have no supports, so having a person to talk to is a comfort and makes them feel safe and that someone out there cares,” she explained.
“Some become lifelong friends after beginning as strangers. It’s a scary time, but this helps.”
To become a volunteer, all it takes is to call 780-327-9442 to receive a driver’s package and then you must provide a criminal record check, a driver’s abstract and some references along with a caring and compassionate attitude.
