There’s nothing like finding your way to your volunteering passion by stretching your limits - and your body.
Diane Bacchus was looking for a yoga class that would be gentle on her aging body and she found just the right one by chance when she attended a health fair that took place some years ago.
She enjoyed it so much she followed the instructor who was leading the class, Emma Faulkner, as she volunteered her time to offer lessons throughout the community.
Finally Mrs. Bacchus followed her to the Native Friendship Centre to enjoy the weekly classes held there, where Faulkner is the health department team leader.
Soon other ladies in the class would encourage Mrs. Bacchus to go to other events and activities within the walls of the centre. There was always so much going on.
“One of my friends was volunteering at the food bank here and was so excited about it that she said I should do the same,” Mrs. Bacchus said. “So I said sure, I’ll volunteer for that. So I started volunteering with the food bank and going to the yoga classes and Gloria (Hourie, another volunteer) and her sister Noreen started taking me to all these different elders things and I have been here ever since. So you could say it’s welcoming to everyone – I don’t know how else to put it. (Mrs. Bacchus is not an Indigenous elder but revered and respected just the same in the inclusive environment.) And that’s how I ended up volunteering for everything and being part of the Kookums’ group. I have stopped volunteering for everybody else and all my volunteer hours are completely for them.”
Mrs. Bacchus was encouraged to share her knowledge and offer her assistance through the Kookums’ Konnection.
Kookum means grandmother and the role of these volunteers falls into a traditional grandmother’s role where she will play with the little ones (in the early childhood education department), guide in tradition the young ones who need grounding (in the youth groups), assist with food security (at the food bank) because there’s nothing worse than an empty belly and then there’s even some craft creating of items that are gifted to those in need. It’s all part of the volunteering effort to lift up the community in need of assistance, teachings and guidance.
“We go to the day cares, have lunch with the little ones and play with all the babies – they are cute little things,” Mrs. Bacchus laughed.
“So that’s how I ended up being here and then ended up in the group by chance. It was all by chance. My thanks goes to Gloria and her sister because they were the ones that took me along with them.”
