Volunteers are an important part of our agency. Without their care and dedication, Family Services would not be able to provide the breadth of services available to support individuals and families. Very special people of all ages and backgrounds, make up the backbone of support for many of our programs. Volunteers are needed in Palliative Care, Christmas Bureau, Adaptation, Orientation, and Integration, and special Events. We also recruit volunteer Board members.
Call our Volunteer Coordinator at 604-988-5281 local 312 to find out how you can volunteer.
Palliative Care Volunteer Program
As we recognize that dying is not just a medical event but a personal one as well, volunteers have been an integral part of Family Services of the North Shore and the North Shore Palliative Care Program since 1981. 100 trained volunteers worked at the Lion’s Gate Hospital, Palliative Care Unit and in the North Shore Community (North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Bowen Island) in 2005, providing over 8,500 hours of non-medical support to patients and their families. The volunteers are an important part of an interdisciplinary team that visits patients at home, in the hospital and in care facility visits offering palliative massage, legacy writing opportunities, companionship, pet therapy, vigils and bereavement follow up. Volunteer services are provided at no cost to patients and their family members.
Our Palliative Care volunteers are screened, trained, supervised and supported by the FSNS Palliative Care Volunteer Coordinator. The training program includes specialized training in Palliative Massage/Healing Touch and Life Story Recording.
The North Shore Palliative Care Program is a unique partnership between Family Services of the North Shore and Lions Gate Hospital that supports volunteers in offering:
- Quality, personal support for palliative patients and their families
- Palliative massage, healing touch/therapeutic touch for patients
- Opportunity for patients to reflect and record their life history
- Support in the Emergency Room, Chemotherapy Clinic, Relaxation Group, Bereavement Group, memorials services and Honour-A-Life ceremonies.
Christmas Bureau
Family Services of the North Shore Christmas Bureau works from Christmas to Christmas to provide Christmas hampers and Toy Shop visits to nearly 750 low income families and individuals residing in North and West Vancouver, while raising enough money to ensure 54% of Family Services clients receive subsidized counseling sessions in our Family Therapy program.
We need volunteers to help in the office, sort, set-up and dismantle the Toy Shop, assist parents with gift selection at the Toy Shop, assemble and distribute hampers at the Christmas Hamper Exchange and drivers to collect toys from our Drop-Off boxes or deliver hampers.
Board of Directors
Family Services of the North Shore, Board of Directors invites people in our community to consider membership on our board. If you have business, professional or service experience and would like to become more influential in your community, please contact our Executive Director, Sue Bauman at 604-988-5281.
Events
Special Event volunteers help with planning and managing our events which are often major fund raisers for the agency. Volunteers help with decorating, set up and take down, funding silent auction items and many other tasks under the direction of the Chair of the special event committee.