Volunteering an important role for two Garden Terrace residents
Monday, April 2, 2007 -- Deron Hamel
Philip McHale and Sadie Perfitt say being residents at Garden Terrace helps them in their roles as volunteers at the Kanata long-term care home.

“There is a connection there,” says McHale. “It’s a great idea.

McHale says the day he arrived at the home in November 2005 he ran into a man he had known since he was eight years old. The two rekindled their friendship.

McHale’s friend, who is blind and has multiple sclerosis, introduced him to others in the home and from there McHale says he started helping others wherever he could.

“As soon as I met my friend, I got to meet everyone else,” he says.

An accomplished craftsman, McHale spends part of his time as a volunteer teaching the men how to do woodwork. McHale also plays drums and often joins other volunteer performers who come into the home to provide entertainment to residents.

Perfitt enjoys volunteering and says it comes naturally to her.

“I think I do it without thinking because I want to reach out and help,” she says. “It seems to be a part of me.”

Perfitt has volunteered at Garden Terrace for 2½ of the three years she has been at the home. Having volunteered in various capacities for over 30 years, helping others is nothing new to her, she says. Volunteering, she says, provides a deep source of meaning to her life.

“It helps me out a great deal,” she says. “It gives me a motive to get up in the morning. It feels really good to reach out.”

Some of the volunteer work Perfitt performs at the home includes helping with meals on three of the home’s four floors, delivering mail and taking time to speak to residents.

The home’s life enrichment co-ordinator Shannon Boisvenue says McHale and Perfitt are an important part of the Garden Terrace team. The fact that both volunteers are residents provides a comfort level to people, she says.

“There are a lot of good things that come out of having them in the home,” Boisvenue says.

McHale and Perfitt will be joining other the home’s other volunteers at Garden Terrace’s volunteer appreciation dessert April 21. The event is part of National Volunteer Week held across Canada April 15 to 21. The purpose of the week is to acknowledge efforts of volunteers.

Boisvenue says she and other staff members at the home are grateful for all the work McHale and Perfitt do with residents.

“I thank them just about daily for the things they do here,” she says.