This week is National Volunteer Week and to celebrate, we thought we would share a few stories from some of our long-standing volunteers.
Who is an ESS volunteer and why do they volunteer?
Meet our first featured volunteer: Khui
Khui joined ESS as a volunteer in 1998. Since joining us as a volunteer, Khui has volunteered as a driver, a member of our Board of Directors and Fundraising Committee and is currently matched with an ESS client to provide them support over the telephone.
About Khui
Khui is a retired Occupational Therapist. After graduating in India, Khui arrived to Toronto in 1962 as a Graduate Intern, not knowing a single person in Canada. After completing her internship she spent 2 years in New York for work and study. Upon returning to Toronto she worked at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (now known as the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute) moving her way up from Staff Therapist to Supervisor, to Manager, then Department Head. Over her career, Khui had opportunities to develop programs and departments, to organize seminars and attend conferences. She was also given Lecturer status at the University of Toronto. Khui decided to take early retirement to look after her mother.
Her interests include travel, playing bridge, swimming, exercising, entertaining and of course, volunteering. To date, she has visited 44 countries on 5 continents, but still has some left on her bucket list! She has also previously volunteered with the Heart and Stroke Association and Gems of Hope.
Volunteering with ESS
Khui began volunteering with ESS after moving to Etobicoke with a desire to make productive use of her time. She has volunteered in several capacities with ESS and has enjoyed each experience, along with the clients and staff she has met.
What keeps her involved is the positive attitude and support from the staff. “They are consistently helpful and accommodating and make me feel I am making a valuable contribution. This is supported by the social events and educational activities that are organized for us throughout the year.”