For immediate release

Volunteers ride life's journey with children

It's been said that only angels have wings. Yet, at least two of The Children's Aid Society of Hamilton's volunteer drivers might qualify early. Davina (Dee) Landry and George Foster are well on their way, logging miles to drive children in the care of the Society back and forth between foster parents and visits with natural parents, as well as other types of appointments.

As Dee puts it, doing volunteer work is about "earning your wings and what you contribute to make this world better." Yet both she and George modestly say "we're just the drivers." However, these drivers do a great deal to improve the world of a vulnerable child.

They are often one of the few constants in the life of a child in the Society's care. Drivers pick up children from a foster home, natural parent or school and drive them to a visit with their natural parents or other relatives, sometimes at home, at a visitation centre or at the CAS offices. Sometimes the visits are supervised by CAS workers. When the visit is over, it is usually the same driver who returns the child to the foster home.

The majority of the visits are happy reunions between parent and child. However, both George and Dee say they have heard some very sad stories, especially when visits get cancelled at the last minute for a variety of reasons. The parents could not or did not show up.

Drives to visits may be local within Hamilton or as far away as Dunnville, Mississauga or Barrie depending on foster or group home locations.

"Sometimes we drive the kids a long way and we have to deal with the disappointments as well as the happiness," says George. "A lot of the kids are hardened to these let-downs and they bounce back."

Other kids are not so hardy, however. Dee recalls seeing children cry and become completely stressed out by the difficulties of a visit or a cancellation.

"There can be a lot of turmoil in their young lives already," says Dee. "We often become an important part of their lives and may be the one person who's going to be there."

Despite the occasional sad episode, Dee and George say their volunteer work is very rewarding. Now that Dee and George's own children are grown, they enjoy spending time with the children they drive and getting to know them. Both have their vehicles equipped with child safety seats as well as toys and games. George jokingly agreed he seems to be preparing for grandparenthood.

It's been two years since friends recommended volunteering for the CAS and both Dee and George are pleased they made the decision to incorporate the work of the Society into their lives. Dee worked in the private sector for years, helping her husband build a successful auto parts business. She then decided to make a career change and is currently pondering her next move. She is quite sure it will involve working with children. George is retired from Stelco and says his wife finds he has less time for household projects now then he did while working full-time.

Dee and George admit they do get attached to the children they have come to know through drives. They wonder what will happen to their young charges and hope for the best as their lives unfold. Both agree they end some long days feeling very fulfilled.

Drivers are among the most needed CAS volunteers. Currently, there are 73 drivers who together logged 29,500 hours for the Society in the last year. Their contribution of time represents nearly 80% of the total hours given by CAS volunteers.

"It's virtually impossible to measure the contribution provided by our volunteers," says Dominic Verticchio, CAS Executive Director. "Their presence brings so much to the lives of vulnerable children and youth in our care, that we as workers just do not have the capacity or time to undertake."

Volunteers play important roles in a number of areas of the agency. The Society Board of Directors is made up of 18 volunteers representing the community. As the governing body, the Board is legally and financially responsible for the Society. Community volunteers also serve on a number of CAS Board committees, including program services issues, planned giving advisory and gala planning.

Other volunteer positions are Special Friends, who provide one to one support and companionship to children and youth on an ongoing basis. Dee has also volunteered in this role. Tutors assist children with reading and other learning tasks at home, school or in a library.

Other volunteers work as babysitters, as clerical aides at the CAS offices or work on special events such as the recent Society "Grape Expectations" gala. For this, Dee worked on site at Liuna Station as a day event volunteer. George was very involved in the holiday Family Sponsorship Program this past year. In addition to making deliveries of donated toys and goods to needy families, he recruited additional donors from the community.

Volunteers who work directly with children and youth undergo extensive screening and training before they begin their work at CAS. There is a basic two- hour orientation and subsequent program specific training depending on the volunteer's role. Police and reference checks are mandatory for all volunteer applicants. More volunteers are needed right now as Special Friends, especially males. Placements as tutors, especially between now and June are also needed as well as clerical aides. Collectively, the Society's 182 volunteers contributed a total of 37,022 hours to the agency last year.

"We receive no funding to provide these additional programs to vulnerable children and youth. "says Dominic Verticchio. "Without our volunteers, we could not deliver services such as the drives, and the quality of life for many families would suffer."

For more information on volunteering at The Children's Aid Society of Hamilton, contact Roger Luton, Coordinator of Volunteer Services at 905 522-1121, ext. 3203.

-30-

For more information, please contact:
Dianne Pearson
Manager of Communications & Development
905-522-1121 ext. 2110