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What is a volunteer? Have you ever thought much about that? When I was a small girl, with three young uncles, I believed it was someone who dashed off and joined the army without waiting to be invited. Lucky bin}! Much later, came an exasperating phase when all the women in our household seemed to have ‘volunteered’ for something or other. That word again! That’s when I spent some of my better years sniffing tempting odors at the kitchen door and asking disgruntledly, “Are these cookies for us, or are they for the Ladies’ Auxiliary?” That auxiliary sure had an appetite! But now that some 80 years have passed, I think I’m beginnmg to see the light, t9 understand vghat volunteersrgally are. A ...v â€"O_. In this fine country of ours, senior citizens are treated better than in any other place in the world. No one disputes that. But now that I am one of the seniors, I have come to realize that there is much more involved than good care and security in making life worth living for us. And, above all, that none provide these heart-warming extras for us more graciously than our friends of Meals to Wheels. We often discuss this among ourselves, but we are not awfully good at telling them. We know that we can depend on them to look out for us in every sort of weather, every sort of difficulty, all sorts of crises. Of course, we should tell them more often how much we appreciate them, but we don’t. You see, they have shown us now that, yes, they are volunteers. That means ...they are our friends! Submitted by Jean Vernon, Wheels-to-Meals, client of Sir John Colborne Centre for Seniors. ADAPT provides its services free , ADAPT offers professional out-patient assessment and treatment services for individuals experiencing problems with alcohol or drug use. Service is also available for relatives or close friends of such persons (such as a spouse or parents). Service has been provid- ed in Oakville, Burlington, Milton, and Halton Hills since 1976. ADAPT provides the following services: What is a volunteer? VIAfiédmprehensi‘ve assessment tb détermine the extent of an alcohol or drug prgblem. {Gitâ€"patient ueamleni'tb help resolve alcohol and drug Emblems. All clients at ADAPT begin with an assessment to identify the extent of the alcohol/drug problem and helps identifypro blems in other life areas. It results in the development of an individualized plan for change. ADAPT’s treatment service offers: individual chun- selling to help make changes with drinking or drug use. Hearing Services All makes, sales, service 8: repairs. Ear molds swim plugs. ‘ Open: Fri. ’til 9 pm. Lakeside Paramedical 217 Lakeshore Rd. E.’ Vfl‘iducation and information about alcohol and drug 119 Jones St., Bronte Wheels to Meals clients Winnie Weatherstone, left, and Jean Vernon are regulars at the Sir John Colborne Centre. 844-3530 827-2902 EVERYTHING FOR GOLFEFIS MEN, WOMEN,LEFI'IES TDD 466 SPEERS RD. 845-4553 TOTAL Glass and Mirror Co. Commercial Residential Prompt Service â€" Reasonable Plates , 1236 Speers Rd., Unit #2 Oakville 847-1805 Weekly group sessions offer ongoing support which helps individuals learn to live without drinking or, using drugs. Separate groups are also available for spouses, family members, and Adult Children of Alcoholics. Al'l of the ADAPT services are provided to both youg and adults! and are kept comp_letely confidential. ARA“ m 4 7 There is no charge for ahy serCIice at ADAPT. The majority of the funds are provided by the Ontario Minjstry 9f Health. _ _ Over the years, ADAPT has relied heavily on volun- teers to help with the delivery of group services. The effort of these dedicated volunteers is greatly appreciat- ed as ADAPT could not provide services to the extent available without their generous contributions of time and energy. Typical referrals to ADAPT come from the health care community, schools, and social agencies, plus self- referrals. For more information on ADAPT, call 847- 6547 weekdays between 8:30 am. and 4:30 pm. Dedication of volunteers She set her alarm for 6:30 a.m. and woke to a dark winter morning. She showered, dressed, grabbed a quick cup of coffee and then set out for the offices of the Halton District Health Council (HDHC) where she attends an early breakfast meeting of the Mental Health/Addictions Committee. (Not all meetings are held as early! Many are held during lunch hours and evenings). In any one month, she may contribute 12 to 20 hours of volunteer time. This is the sort of dedication the HDHC gets from over 100 volun- teers who represent not only Oakville, but the whole community of Halton on standing committees, special project steering committees, many task forces, working groups and, of course,the Council itself. HDHC volunteers attend com- mittee meetings, read reports, research documents, rank proposals, and develop advice to the Minister of Health. All this with the goal of helping to keep our health care sys- tem alive and well! Health Councillors are appointed by the Provincial Cabinet through an Orderâ€"in-Council for up to six years. Providers and consumers, together with Regional Councillors, blend their knowledge and skills in the increasingly difficult task of health system reform and the plan- ning of local health‘care. . Some of the topics reviewed and discussed include; mental health and addictions, emergency health services, long term care reform, health promotion and acute and pri- mary care services. This year, the Halton District Health Council began a Woman’s Health Study and a Hospital Resource Utilization Study. Studies involve many com- munity meetings at which the HDHC is always delighted to wel- Oakville Travel Service Limited 336 Church Street, Oakville, Ontario L6J 5A8 (416) 845-7154 Ward Funeral Homes at Reynolds Church 844-3221 come members of the public to air their view on topics of special inter- est and concern. Council meetings are also open to the public and are held on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm. at the Oakville offices. The Health Promotion Committee has been particularly pleased that during the past year, several Health Proposal Grants reviewed by Council have been funded for Oakville and include a Teen Weight Preoccupation Project, grants to the Women’s Information and Support Centre of Halton, the Haltnn Adult Learning Network and the ()akville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital which is initiating a com- munity-based head injury preven- For 36 years, the Oakville Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society has been steadily increasing its fund raising efforts. But what many peo- ple don’ t realize is that this would not be possible without the many volunteers who give so much time and dedication to this cause. For the Daffodil Days campaign, 164 Beta Sigma Phi Sorority volun- teers will raise $25,000. And during the residential blitz, 1,600 volunteer canvassers will be going door-toâ€" door. Last year, over $300,000 was raised in Oakville. Along with these visible cam- paigns are people behind the scenes who drive cancer patients to treat- ment centres five days a week. In addition, trained educational volun- teers give seminars on how to pre- ’Look What Dafiodils D0' 2432 Lakeshore Rd. West Service 1079 SPEERS ROAD 825-8940 844-7586 tion program to promote the use of bicycle helmets. The Town of Oakville Parks and Recreation Department and Argus Sports Clinic are also collaborating â€" with the help of a seed grant â€" to improve physical fitness levels and promote exercise in the general population. 646 4th Line at Spears The chair and the staff of the Health Council would like to thank all our volunteers whether they sit on Council or one of our many standing committees or Task Forces. We look forward to working with you all again during the upcoming year. If interested in more information on the Halton District Health Council or volunteer opportunities, call 842-2120. vent cancer at schools, companies, and service clubs. Volunteers make the Cancer Society work without them, there would be fewer funds raised for research, less awareness of how to prevent this disease, and many Oakville patients unable to make appointments at cancer clinics. OAKTOWN SUPPLY LTD. 578 KERR STREET 844-7272 845-421 '|