Victoria Cool Aid Society

Interested in joining our board? Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/gyqdpaaF

Cool Aid accepts people of all abilities into its volunteer program. It’s something that Matt, a volunteer at Mount Edwards, really appreciates. Matt, who is on disability and lives in supportive housing herself, says that getting out of the house and caring for others has made a huge difference in her own wellbeing. 🥰 She adds that she likes the environment at Mount Edwards and that it’s easy to get to from where she lives. Volunteering, she says, gives her a sense of purpose, and it has even helped her overcome some of her own fears. 🙌 Thank you, Matt for donating your time to making a difference in our community! 🤗 National Volunteer Week may be over, but our appreciation for all the volunteers at Cool Aid will never end! 💙🧡💙🧡 Quotes in image: “I can do hard things and interact with people in positive ways.” “Volunteering is really rewarding, emotionally. It has helped me overcome my fears in a controlled environment.” #nvw2024 #nationalvolunteerweek #everymomentmatters #volunteerappreciation

It was Gabor Maté who first inspired Chantal to volunteer. After reading In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, Maté’s 2008 book about addiction, Chantal - who retired from UVIC in 2021 - says she realized how much trauma has been experienced by marginalized people and that they need help, not judgement. 🙌 Since starting with Cool Aid in 2022, Chantal has prepared harm reduction kits and helped with hygiene at Rock Bay Landing, organized holiday donations at Sandy Merriman House, served meals at Hillside Terrace, and now picks up and delivers Second Harvest (Starbucks) donations to several sites. 🥰 She says every single assignment has been rewarding and that she has met amazing people everywhere she goes. 🤗 Quotes in image: “What I do is a small part, but I like knowing that it’s part of a much bigger picture.” “Volunteering has made me realize that everyone is the same – people are people.” The staff are more than friendly – they are very invested.” #nvw2024 #nationalvolunteerweek #everymomentmatters #volunteerappreciation

On the day we visited, volunteers from the Garth Homer Society's Options Independent Learning program were making quinoa salad for folks at Cool Aid’s Downtown Community Centre. 👩🍳 The group, led by Vocational Counsellor, Eva Monti, cooks at the DCC twice a week and their culinary skills consistently get rave reviews from clients. 😋 It’s obvious from talking to these incredible volunteers that the work ‘fills them up’ too! 😌 Quotes in image: “I like knowing that people who don’t normally get food are getting it,” Tawnya, Options volunteer. “I like cooking here,” Taylor, Options volunteer. Photo caption: Vocational Counsellor, Eva Monti, and volunteers Taylor (center) and Tawnya (right) from the Garth Homer Society’s Options Independent Learning program. #nvw2024 #nationalvolunteerweek #volunteerappreciation #everymomentmatters https://lnkd.in/ge2jGS4A

This is Lindsay. She started volunteering with our REES program in January of 2023 and because she was so fabulous, was hired as a support worker for the Downtown Community Centre a year later! 🌟 Lindsay, who grew up in Victoria and studied pharmacology at McGill, says volunteering makes her feel more connected to issues in the community. “It’s one thing to learn about the social determinants of health but another to actually see how they play out in society.” When asked what she enjoys most about volunteering (and now working for Cool Aid) she says, without hesitation, “Getting to know and understand the clients. “They have so little but are so generous.” 🥰 When asked what she would want others to know about the work, she was even more certain, “It’s about opening your mind to understand that most of our clients are wonderful people who are down-on-their-luck. Some people just experience more tragedy than others and they really need patience, generosity and compassion.” #nvw2024 #nationalvolunteerweek #thankyou #volunteerappreciation #everymomentmatters #employeeappreciation

In honour of National Volunteer Week, Cool Aid's CEO, Elin Bjarnason, has a special message for all of our volunteers: "An absolutely massive thank you to the more than two hundred amazing volunteers who donate their time to help others at Cool Aid. Volunteers at Cool Aid contributed more than five thousand hours last year, with numbers this year looking even more impressive! From making deliveries and meal service, to pet therapy, massage, and recreation programs…we could not do it without you. Every moment of your time really does matter to Cool Aid and the people we serve. Thank you for believing, as we do, that everyone deserves home, health and connection! Your caring and compassion help make this a reality." Statistics from image: 🧡 205+ Active Volunteers 💙 5674 Total hours in 2023 🧡 2031 Hours to date in 2024 #nvw2024 #nationalvolunteerweek #volunteerappreciation #everymomentmatters #everyonedeserveshome #volunteer

Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Gabby and Pumbaa – the best 2 for 1 deal ever! 💯 If it wasn’t for Pumbaa, Gabby - who lives with PTSD and agoraphobia - wouldn’t leave the house alone. And if it wasn’t for the dynamic duo, there would be a little less sunshine at Rock Bay Landing every Thursday! 🌞 Gabby, a criminal justice student who has been volunteering at RBL for 2 years, says some of the best things about volunteering are all amazing people – other volunteers, staff and clients – she has met and the sense of purpose it brings to her life. And though he couldn’t quite say, we’re pretty sure Pumbaa’s highlights are all the attention he gets and the joy he brings to others. 🙌 A huge thanks to Gabby and Pumbaa for volunteering to bring happiness (and hygiene help) to the folks at Rock Bay Landing! Quotes in image: “[Pumbaa] makes people so happy and he has so many friends at the building. He’s more popular than I am!” -Gabby “Volunteering at Rock Bay gives me a reason to wake up. It’s really validating and therapeutic for me. I am not judged for my mental health there.” -Gabby #nationalvolunteerweek #nvw2024 #everymomentmatters #volunteerappreciation #petappreciation

🧡💙 Happy National Volunteer Week! 💙🧡 At Cool Aid, we have over 200 incredible volunteers! 🙌 This week is dedicated to highlighting and thanking the wonderful individuals who have donated their time to making a difference in our community. We are grateful for each and every one of you! 🥰 📣 Keep your eye out for some volunteer spotlights, where we will be posting about a few of our volunteers throughout this week. #nationalvolunteerweek #nvw2024 #everymomentmatters #volunteerappreciation

Our Community Health Centre's health outreach team was recently highlighted in The Globe and Mail Mobile Outreach provides access to medical care to people who would not be able to use services easily. One goal is reducing impacts on emergency rooms and building relationships with people who are homeless. Check out what Marion Selfridge, Research Manager for Cool Aid's Community Health Centre, had to say here: https://lnkd.in/gBkrJj-c

🙌 Our Community Health Centre research team has just published a paper in the Canadian Liver Journal! https://lnkd.in/g7-6Sfqk Here is a summary: Canada is on target to reach the World Health Organization goal of eliminating hepatitis C by 2030! To do this, we must continue to have high rates of treatment. Novel models, like pharmacy-based hep C screening and treatment, have been successful in engaging people who use drugs in hep C treatment. The Cool Aid study sought to determine whether similar successes could be seen at community pharmacies here in Victoria. Four pharmacies were trained to provide consent and perform hep C antibody screening. The pharmacies were supported by our hep C nurse coordinator to link people to further RNA testing when antibody positive patients were identified. Hep C treatment was then offered to RNA positive participants. Interviews were conducted with pharmacy staff to explore experiences and the feasibility of pharmacists providing ongoing hep C testing and care. Pharmacy staff completed 200 tests between October 2020 and June 2022. The tests found 26 people living with hep C. Of those 26 people, 25 have started treatment and so far, 22 have been cured of hep C.