Kemptville District Hospital staff are doing their part to acknowledge National Volunteer Week.
Volunteers are unpaid but they can be crucial to some of our most important institutions. Hospital CEO Frank Vassallo says without the volunteers in the Kemptville District Hospital Foundation and Kemptville District Auxiliary things would be different.
According to Vassallo the Auxillary has donated $65,000 the last two years and well over a million in their history. He notes that the funding they receive from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is greatly appreciated but without fundraising they would be short of what they need.
Vassallo points out if you go to the hospital you’ll see red-vest wearing volunteers helping throughout the building. He estimates they put in hundreds or thousands of hours annually as a group and looks forward to the recognition tea they host every year.
He notes that he hears from patients and families weekly how wonderful their volunteers are. Vassallo finished by saying the community at large is a key ingredient in what makes their hospital successful because they attend and donate to fundraisers.