Circle of Giving – Inspired Volunteering
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Experiencing premature labour at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Susanne Bazett, remembers the first tears she cried. “It was when they handed me an envelope from YANA. It became so real, our baby was coming early and we would need to transfer to Nanaimo. It was overwhelming.”
YANA envelopes containing emergency cash and an invitation for further support are given to local families with a child or an expecting mother who requires emergency transfer from the Comox Valley hospital. “It is one of the ways we connect with families who need to travel for medical care.” Says YANA Executive Director, Marcie Dumais.
“That was just the start of many tears,” recalls Susanne who delivered baby Eliza just an hour after arriving in Nanaimo. Complications with the premature birth resulted in yet another transfer, this time to Victoria. The next few weeks were filled with specialists, tests, and a third hospital transfer with YANA providing accommodation wherever Eliza’s family needed to be.
Through the stress and uncertainty Susanne says one thing still stands out, “Our faith in humanity was realized. The generosity, the kindness, the compassion of strangers when we needed it most. YANA connected with us immediately and whatever happened next, they were there to help.”
Several years prior, Paula Bazett, Eliza’s aunt, became a volunteer for YANA. She helps regularly at fundraising events.
“I had been aware of YANA for many years,” says Paula. “In fact they had helped with a similar situation in my family in the past. And then again with Baby E. I was inspired by this amazing support that was offered so unconditionally.”
Dumais has this to say about volunteers, “However they come to be inspired to help YANA, our volunteers become an inspiration to us. We can’t tell you how heart-warming it is when we look around at an event and see so many people giving their time and effort to make sure YANA can sustain its support to families.”
Paula adds, “So many people I admire are involved in giving to YANA in some way. It’s great to be surrounded with like-minded people and I hope to find more ways to be involved in the future.”
“There is never an obligation for relatives or clients themselves to contribute but it consistently happens, people are compelled to participate in the circle of giving and we are grateful to be the stewards of this beautiful generosity. It is really needed particularly as our services grow,” finishes Dumais.
Baby E, as she is affectionately known, is happy and healthy and thriving at home in Courtenay. To find out more about volunteering with YANA, visit https://www.yanacomoxvalley.com/volunteer/