50 Faces of SECC – Anne

Anne spent most of her life on a family farm just outside of Toronto. She grew up surrounded by family and always showed compassion for her community by giving back in any way she could.

In 2013, Anne decided to move to Leamington to join her children. She worked at the Leamington Hospital in the Emergency Department, but after breaking her hip, she was unable to return to her career. She thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to give back to her new community and began looking for volunteer opportunities available to her. After finding SECC, she quickly became a Volunteer in the Friendly Visitation program, where she would meet weekly with isolated seniors in their homes. She quickly made lasting friendships with people who not only benefited by Anne’s visits but also gave Anne a purpose.

During her volunteering career with SECC, Anne has made lasting connections with clients and staff alike. She has since changed roles to volunteer in the Security Check program, where instead of visits in person, she calls the seniors on the phone. She continues to develop relationships with each client built on trust and respect. Anne looks forward to Security Check calls every day as an opportunity to brighten someone’s day. Her fulfillment comes from the feeling of being needed.

On top of her volunteering with the Friendly Visitation and Security Check programs, Anne has been involved in volunteering at special events. A highlight for Anne was volunteering at an agency wide community event, “Mosaic”. At this event, Anne was stationed at the Roma Club and was singing praises about SECC while stamping the “passports” of participants.

SECC admires Anne’s dedication for so many years. SECC depends on volunteers to reach more people in our community. Anne is a vital team member and does so in a loving and compassionate way, not only to the lives of clients, but to the staff that work closely with her as well.