During National Volunteer Week, Island Health is celebrating more than 2,000 volunteers who support patients, families, visitors and healthcare teams.
“Volunteers are an essential part of our care teams,” said Leah Hollins, Island Health Board Chair. “Every day, they offer kindness, connection and support in moments when it matters most.”
National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to recognize the many ways people contribute to care across Island Health – from volunteers and auxiliaries to patient partners – supporting patients, families and staff every day while helping create compassionate care experiences.
Little moments, lasting impact
Every day, Island Health volunteers contribute thousands of hours across hospitals, long-term care homes, public health units, and other community sites. Whether helping someone find their way or simply sitting and listening, these moments make a meaningful difference.
For Shirley Hickman, that impact has been a constant throughout a lifetime of volunteering.
Hickman, 77, volunteers weekly in the emergency department at Comox Valley Hospital (CVH), offering comfort, easing anxiety and helping people feel seen during stressful moments. She also helps train new volunteers. From her early days as a teenage hospital volunteer to decades with Girl Guides of Canada, her motivation has remained the same.
“Through volunteering, I gain as much as I give – maybe more,” said Hickman. “I always go home feeling like I’ve made a difference in someone’s day. You see the smiles and feel the gratitude – and that stays with you.”
Supporting patients and care teams
Volunteers also assist healthcare teams by helping with non-clinical needs, making it easier for staff to focus on patient care while ensuring people feel supported.
Jennifer Ward, who brings a background in research and academia, began volunteering in the emergency department at CVH a year ago, drawn to get out of the lab and pursue work with more human connection.
During her weekly shifts, Ward helps with wayfinding, and offers warm blankets and spends time with patients and families navigating uncertainty, discomfort or long wait times.
“Sometimes people just need someone to talk to or be distracted for a while,” she said. “That alone can change their experience.”
Island Health volunteers support care in a wide variety of roles across the region. Auxiliary volunteers contribute by running hospital gift shops and thrift stores, raising millions of dollars each year that is reinvested into patient care, equipment, and community programs.
Patient partners share their insight and lived experience to help improve care. Through focus groups, surveys, councils and other initiatives, they provide valuable insight into how care is delivered and experienced.
Together, auxiliaries, patient partners and volunteers help create welcoming environments and more compassionate care experiences and provide meaningful support to healthcare teams every day.
A pathway to something new
For others, volunteering is part of a broader personal journey.
After stepping away from a high-intensity career and relocating her family to Campbell River, Anna Stojkowska began re-evaluating her priorities and focusing on her mental health. Volunteering helped her connect with her new community, rediscover herself beyond motherhood, and consider new opportunities. Since joining Campbell River Hospital (CRH) in 2023, she has explored roles in acute care, medical imaging and now the information desk, gaining insight into the healthcare system .
Information desk volunteers create positive first and last impressions by welcoming visitors, answering questions, and helping people navigate the hospital.
“As volunteers, we help ensure people arrive and leave with a smile – it can change their entire healthcare experience,” Stojkowska said, adding that staff have encouraged her in building experience and exploring a future healthcare career.
Now studying for the MCAT with the goal of becoming a family physician, she credits volunteering with shaping her confidence and direction. “It’s opened my eyes to what’s possible – I feel like I’m rewriting what I want to be when I grow up.”
Opportunities to get involved
Island Health is welcoming new volunteers, particularly in Comox, Campbell River, Port Alberni, Parksville, Port Hardy, and Port McNeill where support is especially needed in emergency departments and information desks. Whether you’re looking to give back, explore a future in healthcare or connect with your community, volunteering is a meaningful way to make a difference.
Visit Volunteer Resources & Engagement to learn more or apply to be a volunteer.