Achi news desk-
Isabelle Weidemann has won several Olympic medals representing Team Canada as a speed skater but credits her volunteer efforts off the ice for giving her the extra momentum she needed in her everyday life.
“It has given me a lot of purpose. I felt very connected to a community, you know, often with high performance sports completely different from others so it’s been a really amazing experience,” said Weidemann.
“I’ve met really fun people, getting to integrate with the staff and learn a bit more about how hospitals and patient care work.”
Weidemann, who won a gold, silver and bronze medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, volunteers in the emergency department at Foothills Medical Center.
She began doing so in 2021 alongside some of her teammates as isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic brought many of them down.
Volunteering was a way for her and her fellow competitors, who have also joined the AHS hospital program, to give back between world cup events around the world and before the Winter Olympics.
“When we went to the Beijing 2022 Olympics, being there knowing that (I) was more than just an athlete or more than just a student was very powerful,” he said.
“I felt a lot of pride representing AHS as a volunteer and giving back to the community. I used that especially in the Olympics when we were in this bubble for six weeks.”
Weidemann’s volunteer story is one of hundreds at Calgary hospitals and she hopes it will inspire others to give back to their community as the demand for more volunteers increases.
More volunteers needed
The Arthur JE Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Center in Calgary is set to officially open this fall, but volunteers are still needed to support patients at what is being called one of the most comprehensive health care facilities in the world.
About 550 volunteers already work around the clock at Foothills Medical Center. Volunteer coordinator Steve Barnes says another 250 to 300 volunteers are needed once the new cancer center opens.
“Our patients may not have a lot of experience navigating the hospital, they may be overwhelmed, emotional or very anxious and at that point, the pathfinders can come in and calm those nerves, ” he said.
“It’s going to be extremely important to have a full range of volunteers once this building opens and if those spaces become empty there will be people without the support they need when they come as patient or family member.”
Barnes says volunteers help guide patients to where they need to go in the hospital, provide wheelchairs or blankets to those in need and even play board games or engage with those recovering in bed hospital.
For more information on how to volunteer, visit the AHS website.
