Volunteers do make a “World of Difference”!! They play a key role in the delivery of compassionate care to patients, their families/visitors and staff at NYGH. This is seen consistently throughout NYGH as Volun-teers offer their assistance, whether it be a smile, an encouraging word, walking them to their appointment, calling a taxi, helping them to a wheelchair, and walking them to their cars. Volunteers excel in all!

The Board of Volunteers were presented in December 2013 with Certificates of Distinction for 45 years of Volunteering at NYGH. These plaques are now displayed on the wall near the Volunteer Office.

The Annual Meeting and Recognition Dinner will be held May 8, 2014 at Spirale’s Banquet Hall. Tickets will be available in the volunteer lounge from April 6th to the12th during Volunteer Week.

We encourage all Volunteers at our three sites, Branson Ambulatory, Seniors’ Health Centre and North York General to attend this evening of recognition, spend some time with friends and have a delicious dinner. Awards are presented to those Volunteers with 5 years to over 45 years of service. Do not miss this night!

On January 31, 2014, a cheque was presented to NYGH Foundation for $275,000!! We are now over $2M towards our pledge of $3M in support of the Volunteer Services Centre for Medical Imaging. Well done everyone!

We continue to welcome new volunteers that bring a wealth of experience to NYGH. They are introduced to our hospital at the Recruitment-Orientation sessions in which Barry Jamieson Chairs a committee of dedicated men and women. He’s looking for additional members, so if you are interested, let him know via the office. Maxine will take your name and phone number and pass it on to Barry.

A very warm welcome to our new Volunteer Services Manager, Sheri Loosemore. Sheri is very warm, friendly and approachable, so drop by and introduce yourself.

We are grateful for your consistency and dedication. “Caring, Leads to Giving your Time”. Thank you fellow Volunteers for all your support and contributions in making NYG the best in Patient Excellence!

SPRING 2014

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT

Sandy Walker, PresidentVolunteer Services Board

“Warm welcome Volunteers!”

olunteer V Voice

At Festivus, February 26, 2014, the Stand Out Award for a Volunteer was Carolyn McGowan. She volunteers in Emergency and at SHC. We are so very proud of her as we are of all of our Volunteers.

AND THE AWARD WINNER IS...

VOLUNTEER SERVICES BOARD 2013-2014

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FROM THE DESK OF SHERI LOOSEMORE

Sheri LoosemoreManager

Volunteer Services

February 18th was another snowy morning in the GTA. The road conditions were terrible. I am sure people who drove by me that morning were wondering why I appeared to be so happy to be stuck in traffic. What they didn’t know, was that I wasn’t smiling at the weather – I was smiling because it was my first day in Volunteer Services and I was on my way to meet the team!I was smiling because I felt lucky; lucky to have the opportunity to marry my passion for volunteerism with my work. A passion that was instilled by my parents - they taught me at an early age the impor-tance of contributing to my community. This led me to many rewarding and interesting volunteer expe-riences; I have sat on a gamut of committees and boards, I have organized a variety of special events and I have served as a volunteer firefighter (I drove the pumper truck!). I can’t wait for the many new volunteer experiences yet to come!My career of building and enhancing volunteer capacity spans more than 17 years. I have led volunteer and fundraising programs for non-profit organizations, national charities and the public sector. I hold my professional designation in both volunteer engagement and fund development. I am thrilled that in my new role I can contribute my expertise in volunteer engagement, while working with such a dedi-cated and diverse volunteer team who are constantly demonstrating their own passion by putting NYGH’s patients and their families first. I have already had the pleasure of meeting some of you and you have all made me feel so welcomed - for that I am very appreciative. The team members I have yet to meet so remember that I am the ‘newbie’. Please stop by and say hello when you see me!

“Greetings to our North York General Hospital Volunteers”

Past President: Olga DellidonnePresident: Sandy Walker1st Vice-President (Interim) ; Phyllis Sacks Vice-President Equal Standing: Joy D’Andrade Recording Secretary: Janet ScrafieldCorresponding Secretary: Debbie KuutanTreasurer/Finance: Olga DellidonneBranson: Carmelita Stewart Constitution: Carol UchidaGift Shop: Barbara LiddiardInformation Desk Services: Sheila Baker Stephen SteinIn-Patient Services: Sonya PowerMembership: Margaret HeylandNominating: Beverley McLeodOut-Patient Services: Margaret Carrington

Members At Large: Janet Trevail Liliane VerbeekSeniors' Health Centre: June MarshallProjects: Barbara MacleodAnnual Dinner: Barbara LiddiardArchives: *** Art: Christine SmithHospital Enhancement: ***Recruitment Barry JamiesonSpiritual & Religious Care: Mary WalkerManager, Volunteer Services Sheri LoosemoreCoordinator: James DimitropoulosCoordinator: Carolann StevensonAdministrative Assistant: Maxine NyantehVolunteer Voice: Barry Jamieson

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CELEBRATING 45 YEARS OF VOLUNTEERING AT NORTH YORK GENERAL HOSPITAL

shower to go to in the near future? In addition to the beautiful baby clothes we carry, we now have fabulous “Diaper Cakes” which are all the rage at baby showers today. Our baby blankets are wonderfully soft and cozy. We recently had a new father who came in to buy one for his new baby but also bought two new ones for his older children because they loved them so much and theirs were wearing out after eight years.We also have a new range of hand and kitchen soaps, bath and shower gels which make fabulous hostess gifts along with our lovely napkins.Have you seen our new “Get Well Soon” bears? We have boy and girl bears which are really cute. The girl is holding a kitten and has kitten slippers on her feet and the boy is holding a puppy with puppy slippers on his feet.Check out the wall behind our cash desk for various wall plaques and artwork. Need a new frame?... we’re sure to have one to suit.Our toy section should not be missed. There are lots of interesting and inexpensive items from which to choose to brighten a little ones day.Don't forget to take advantage of the 15% discount offered to all Volunteers on most items in our wonderful Shop. The usual exceptions apply, i.e. TTC tokens/tickets, stamps, phone cards, lottery tickets, books, magazines, flowers, greeting cards, candies and cookies.

Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper Gov. Gen. David Johnston Premiere Kathleen Wynne Mayor Rob FordOnt. Minister Michael Coteau

Volunteer Services is celebrating 45 years of service at North York General Hospital. To commemorate this mile-stone, plaques have been received from David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Ontario Premiere Kathleen Wynne, MPP Michael Coteau, and Mayor Rob Ford.45 years ago, before the hospital opened, a group of women gathered to discuss forming a Volunteer organiza-tion to help support the hospital. First membership numbered almost 1500 and they conducted tours for the general public. A Gift Shop was opened in 1968 and the first customer to ring in a sale was the Premiere of Ontario, John Robarts.Since then, Volunteers have served in more than 40 areas of the hospital and have raised more than seven million dollars.The plaques are proudly displayed just around the corner from the Volunteer Office so be very proud of our orga-nization. VOLUNTEERS DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Phyllis Sacks, Past President (43 year Volunteer)

Have you visited the Gift Shop recently? Our Team Canada t-shirts, toques, watches and baby wear flew off the wall during the Sochi Olympics. Congratulations to all our Canadian Olympiads... we’re so proud of you!We now carry messenger bags in lovely colours and you can always buy a beautiful matching scarf to complete your ensemble. And what about a lovely bracelet? Don’t forget to check out our lingerie section.Do you know someone who is expecting a baby or do you have a baby

GIFT SHOP TALK WITH BARBARA LIDDIARD

Barbara LiddiardGift Shop Chair

Volunteer Services

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FROM THE DESK OF SANDRA SMITH

Sandra Smith M.A.,CHE

Vice President, People Services & Organizational Development Chief

Human Resources Officer North York General

“Annual Stand out Awards”

Once again we are pleased to present our second (2nd) Annual Stand Out Awards. A year has passed since our first annual Stand Out awards were given out to one staff, physician and volunteer. It’s an opportunity to review some of the STAND OUT stories that occurred throughout the year. The annual selection of the award winners is based on actions that most closely demonstrate the organization’s values and positively impacted the experience of a patient or family member, staff, physician or Volunteer and support and align with the Hospital’s overall strategy. Core Values: Respect, Excellence, Integrity and CompassionStrategic Direction: Excellence in Integrated Patient Centered Care: •Builds on our culture of quality, safety and patient-centered care •Optimizes patient flow and access to care for patients in the most appropriate setting •Strengthens integration with primary care and other community providers •Designs and implement Integrated Care Programs •Plans and create patient-centered care environments Builds on our Academic Foundation: •Enriches and expands our education endeavors to improve health •Fosters and support growth in research, innovation and scholarly activities in focused areas. Our winners were announced at our Festivus celebration on February 26th at the General site by our President/CEO, Tim Rutledge and myself. The winners are:Volunteer: Carolyn McGowan (Volunteers in both the Emergency Department and Seniors’ Health Centre)Physician: Dr. Hassan Deif (Radiologist – Medical Imaging)Staff: Two recipients this year:Joe Luisi (Building Analyst – Building Services Team) Ann Shook (Clinical Coordinator – Emergency Department Please join me in congratulating all of our winners.

Many of us have been fixated to our televisions and radios to hear the latest news of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. It is exciting to say the least. It is so encouraging to watch all the athletes giving it their all and sharing their goals and motivations with the world. It is heartening to see the kindnesses shared through thoughtful gestures like the speed skater who gave up his spot in the final for his team mate who went on to win a medal.All of this is to say that it has been my pleasure to be part of the Volunteer Services team for the last 4 months. It has been encouraging to see how the team pulls together for a common goal, and heartening to see the kind-nesses offered to volunteers and prospective volunteers each and every day. It has also been a special moment to be part of a greater team of volunteers who contribute to the care and compassion of others from our North York community. Our patient and family centred care is the goal that each of reach for every day. When we all do that, we all win. I am happy now to pass the baton onto your new Manager, Sheri Looseman, and wish her all the very best as she takes the leadership for such a wonderful group of people.

FROM THE DESK OF REV. JOAN SILCOX-SMITH

Rev.Joan Silcox-SmithSpiritual & Religious Care

North York General

“Reaching into the Future”

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NYGH VOLUNTEER SERVICES / PROJECTS “ALEX’S MITTEN TREE”... TRULY A SUCCESS STORY!

Alan Empringham, Chair, Mitten Tree Committee /Projects

On behalf of all the children that received generous donations from Alex’s Mitten Tree, we wish to express our thanks to Volunteers, Staff and friends alike,. You reached out to give a little back to the community to those who really need the help. This project is in memory of Alex Hornibrook, the man who organized this drive in 2008. He wanted to give to the less fortunate, and so in early 2010 a committee of dedicated Volunteers was organized to carry on

the work of what Alex lovingly called his “pet project”. We are proud to announce that this year’s drive set a new record for the number of articles donated!The final count for Christmas 2013 was 1,334 articles of clothing. . The total number of items that have been collected and distributed since 2008 has climbed to 5,774 items.Deliveries were made to various charities by our small group of “Santa’s Helpers” in mid December. They included “New Circles”, an organization that looks after families in need, the Health Bus, and St. John Anglican Church.Thank you, thank you, thank you!

1,334

SPRING WILL SOON BE HERE...and Mary Walker, our resident gardener, is looking for help in maintaining the beautiful NELIA LA ROSA VOLUNTEER MEMORIAL GARDEN. If you love to putter in the garden, this would be a great opportunity to work with Mary in this relaxing past-time. It doesn’t require a lot of your time and the self satisfaction of seeing the garden bloom into a glorious array of colour will be most rewarding.If you would like to spend some time helping Mary and her friends, you can get in contact with her through the Volunteer Office. Leave your name & phone number and she will get in touch with you.

James Dimitropoulos Coordinator

Volunteer Services

FROM THE DESK OF JAMES DIMITROPOULOS AND CAROLANN STEVENSON

Carolann Stevenson Coordinator

Volunteer Services

• Professional Administrators of Volunteer Resources – Ontario (PAVR-O) Survey Thank you for participating in the PAVR-O survey, the results are expected in March 2014. This survey is adminis-tered by PAVR-O and we are one of 59 health centres/sites completing this survey and comparing our results. Over 17,600 volunteers were invited to participate. • National Volunteer Week (April 6 -12, 2014) is a time to recognize, celebrate and thank our volunteers at North York General Hospital. • Did you know that our volunteers helped to contribute over 92,515 hours of service to our organization in 2013. This is an astounding achievement, one of the many things we celebrate during National Volunteer Week.

• Celebrations and educational activities will be offered throughout the week across the three sites.

• The 2013 Volunteer Stand Out Recognition Award was presented to Ms. Carolyn McGowan at the annual Festivus lunch at the General site on Wednesday, February 26th, 2014. Carolyn volunteers in the Emergency Department at the General site, and also at the Seniors’ Health Centre.

• As a friendly reminder please ensure that you continue to sign in and out on the VSys One System. The infor-mation that we retrieve from the system assists us in numerous ways, i.e. membership information, hours recorded by each volunteer etc. User Guide for the system is posted in the volunteer lounges’ at all three sites. Until next time... James and Carolann

“Things you need to know...”

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FROM THE DESK OF DR. TIM RUTLEDGE

Dr. Tim Rutledge, MD, CCFP (EM), FSCP

President and C.E.O.North York General

FROM THE DESK OF TERRY PURSELL

Terry PursellPresident and C.E.O.

North York General Foundation

I am delighted to thank Volunteer Services for your recent pledge payment of $275,000 which has brought your giving total to more than $2M against your $3M pledge to the Volunteer Services Centre for Medical Imaging.

Your philanthropic investment and your invaluable gifts of time and compassion continue to support North York General’s efforts to provide exceptional patient- and family-centred care. As a volunteer, you understand the power of a smile, the value of offering to show patients where to find a clinic before they even ask—or the calming effect of friendly conversation. One of the great pleasures of my work is hearing the inspirational stories that come to the Foundation through our Say Thanks Program. This Program enables patients and their families to honour someone who has made a meaningful impact on their experience at NYGH, by making a donation. Many of these stories revolve around you, our incredible volunteers. Every honouree receives a card and lapel pin, and I’m pleased to share that newly designed pins will be launched in March. Each pin illustrates “Thank You” in one of the 11 languages most commonly spoken at our Hospital. I offer the pins represented above as a symbol of my deep appreciation for all you do to make a world of difference at North York General.

“Through the eyes of the patient”

Every day we interact with patients and visitors experiencing the best and worst of times – from the birth of a child to the loss of a loved one. And in the small amount of time it takes to step back and see those experi-ences through their eyes, there is so much for us to learn about what they truly want and need from us.It is our job to work with each and every patient to help improve their health and it is also our responsibility to show them we care. Showing compassion and understanding is a significant part of our focus on providing our community with patient- and family-centred care. Whether at the bedside, at the information desk or simply walking down the halls there are opportunities to demonstrate this at every turn. This is where the role of our North York General Volunteers has proven invaluable. By providing a helping hand, a smile, directions or advice our volunteers help to make a visit to the hospital a more positive experience for each patient and family member. I encourage you to visit our internal website, eric, to learn more about Patient- and Family-Centred Care and to become a Certified Champion. By incorporating this philosophy into our everyday lives, we are putting the patients first in everything we do. Your continued generosity and support of the hospital’s various programs and your pledge to the Medical Imaging department is deeply appreciated. On January 31, 2014 the North York General Foundation was presented with a cheque for $275,000 from the Volunteers. These funds will directly and positively impact patients and staff. On behalf of the staff and physicians at North York General, I would like to thank each and every one of you for your dedication to the patients, visitors, staff and physicians at North York General. While we will celebrate your tremendous achievements during National Volunteer Week, please know that our gratitude extends throughout the entire year.

Barb Macleod Chair, Projects Committee

Volunteer Services

FROM THE DESK OF BARB MACLEOD

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I would like to take this opportunity to say a very special “Thank You” to all of our Volunteers and friends who helped make this year’s Alex’s Mitten Tree campaign our most successful ever. As well, it was the best year ever for our Christ-mas Holiday Sale. We raised a total of $1,823. so all in all, it was a great 2013 and look forward to an even better 2014. We can’t do this without the support of Volunteers and friends, so make a note of our upcoming events in the first part of 2014.• Book Sales will be February 19 and June 5.• Garage Sale will be April 9We will be having a “Bake Sale” along with the Garage Sale so please watch for further infor-mation regarding your assistance in providing contributions to the bake table. We always get such wonderful baked goods from our Volun-teers and friends. If you would like to help with donating something for the bake table, you can contact Ann Sequei at 905-474-1647 and let her know you can help out. All money raised by the Book Sales and Garage Sales go towards our 3 million dollar commitment to the Volunteer Services Centre for Medical Imaging.We are also looking for 2 or 3 people to join our Projects Committee. We need someone with some accounting background to help assist our Treasurer and also someone that would like to help out as co-chair of the Garage and Holiday Sales. In our February meeting we were very pleased to welcome Louise Germaine to the Projects Committee. She will co-chair the Ven-dors Market along with Olga Dellidonne. We meet once a month to plan our events and you will find it most interesting. If you or someone you know would like to be a part of a group of very energetic Volunteers raising money for our hospital, leave a note with your name and phone number with Maxine at the Volunteer Office and I will contact you. We need Volun-teers to help out at the sales events as well and would appreciate any assistance.Thank you for your support in 2013 and wish you all a very happy and healthy New Year.

The Projects Committee of North York General Hospital  is hosting a bake sale on Wednesday April 9th, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (VENDORS MARKET)We would very much appreciate any donation of baked goods for this fund- raising event.If you would like to help us by baking your favorite treat, kindly contact Ann at: annsequei@yahoo.ca

BAKE SALE

DON’T FORGET TO MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THEANNUAL MEETING AND RECOGNITION DINNER

TO BE HELD ATSPIRALE BANQUET AND CONVENTION CENTRE888 DON MILLS ROAD

ONTHURSDAY, MAY 8,

2014I am looking forward to seeing everyone again at the Annual Recognition Dinner. Watch your mail - the invitations

for this fabulous event will be sent out

towards the end of March.Barbara Liddiard

Annual Recognition Dinner Chairman

THE POSTING BOARD

Volunteers Give Service With A Smile

NORTH YORK GENERAL HOSPITALGeneral Division: 416 756-6000Branson Division: 416 633-9420Seniors' Health Centre: 416 756-0066Volunteer Office: 416 756-6088

Volunteer Voice is published 3 times a year and is provided to all Volunteers at our 3 sites of North York General Hospital.Volunteer Voice Editor/Graphic Designer: Barry Jamiesonemail: barry.jamieson@nygh.on.caFollow the links on the NYGH web site to view the .pdf version

Articles for the Summer Issue of Volunteer Voice must be submitted no later than June 13 , 2014

TEDDIES FOR TRAGEDIEShave been created by

North York General Hospital Volunteersand friends since this project began.TEDDIES have travelled all over the

world giving pleasure and joy to hundredsof sick, homeless and needy CHILDREN.

THE NEED CONTINUES...PLEASE KEEP ON KNITTING!!!!

Barry Jamieson for Teddies for Tragedies

“WHAT A GREAT PROJECT FOR THIS SPRING”!

4842

Have you registered your consent for organ and tissue donation? To register your consent or for more information on donation please visit www.giftoflife.on.ca. Be a Registered DonorYour decision to register now could one day save up to eight lives and enhance as many as 75 more. Register your consent to become a donor with ServiceOntario now.

Teddies courtesy of Volunteer Linda Gatti

olunteer V VoiceFROM THE DESK OF OLGA DELLIDONNE

Olga Dellidonne TreasurerVolunteer Services

We would like to sincerely thank TD BANK GROUP , in honour of Agnes Chan, for their generous donation.Corporate donations on behalf of current and past employees are, as always, very much appreciated.

“Your support has repeatedly played a key role in our success"

VOLUNTEER SERVICES“A TASTEFUL EXPERIENCE”

PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THE COOKBOOK BENEFIT

VOLUNTEER SERVICES CENTRE FOR MEDICAL

IMAGING

COOK BOOK IS STILL AVAILABLEIN LIMITED QUANTITIES IN THE

GIFT SHOP