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‘Giving oneself to other people One way or another, is One of the greatest joys of living. Nothing we get or take Equals the joy of giving. How unfortunate So many people never discover it.‘ â€" Quoted from Bits and Pieces Oaklands Regional Centre would like to take this time to pubâ€" licly thank its many dedicated volâ€" enteers. Your involvement at Oaklands is invaluable in making our mission statement of supporting independence and fostering friendâ€" ships in our community a reality. Oaklands Regional Centre is a residential facility which provides 24â€"hour support for people who have a disability. There are a variâ€" ety of volunteer opportunities at Oaklands specifically, oneâ€"onâ€"one relationships, swimming and comâ€" munity activities, vocational serâ€" vices, bliss communication club, sewing and mending, and our board of directors. Oaklands is located at 53 Bond St. Drop in or call 905â€"844â€"7864, Ext. 227 if you would like to learn more about volunteer opportunities. The Home Emergency Lifeline Program (HELP) is a service of the OTMH Charitable Corporation which provides seniors and others at risk with the Lifeline personal response system. A simple press of a button, alerts staff of the Oakvilleâ€"Trafalgar Memorial Hospital Communications Department, and appropriate help is obtained quickly and easily. Lifeline subscribers and their families find Lifeline gives them great peace of mind as they do not have to worry about being alone anymore. Volunteers have been a key part of the program since it commenced in October 1990. They have trained almost 1,000 individuals on how to use the Lifeline equipment, travelling as far north as Hillsburgh. They have kept in touch with Lifeline subscribers to ensure that they receive the necessary reassurâ€" ance and support to allow them to most benefit from the service. Volunteers, some Lifeline subscribers themselves, place regular friendly calls to subâ€" scribers, to show them that they care. As well, much of the office work is done by volunteers. HELPing Hand Caring for disabled residents ving. Volunteering at a ‘mock‘ disaster at the Halton Regional Building are, evacuation shelter managers Su Kuo, Denis Rowledge and Allan Simpson. Emergency team Emergency! Help!...Words we hope you never have to use. Unfortunately, some people have had to, while others may have to. Perhaps you. Oakville residents will be relieved to know that a team of Oakville Red Cross Branch Emergency Services Volunteers is prepared and trained to identify and comfort people in the event of an emergency. Red Cross Emergency Services provides: trained volunteers; an instantly recognized symbol; and a well established reputation A commitment has been made to Halton Region to undertake the operation of Evacuation Centres capable of feeding and accommodating citizens who have been evacuated from their homes. Emergency Services Volunteers are helping to make a difference in the community. You, too, can make a difâ€" ference.Phone the Oakville Red Cross for further inforâ€" mation, 905â€"845â€"5241. If you would like more information, call 338â€"HELP (4357). In total, 36 men and women donate their time to ensure that HELP remains a communityâ€"based, caring program, offering support to individuals in need. Almost, 6,000 hours of hard work and dedication have been provided. Oakville Parks and Recreation is privileged to have the services of talentâ€" ed and committed volunteers. Through their efforts, programs and facilities are enhanced in many ways. Volunteers bring fresh and creative approaches to the workplace by sharing their personal experience, information and skills. Volunteering offers a constructive outlet for energetic use of leisure time and provides opportunities for increased social contact and friendships with othâ€" ers who share interests and concerns. For young people, volunteering provides a concrete work experience and learning opportunity in preparation for joining the work force. â€" The Parks and Recreation Department thanks all present and past Parks volunteers volunteers for their contribution to the optimum functioning of programs. Your interest and dedication are much appreâ€" ciated. Gift of Time April 18th to 23rd will be the hospiâ€" tal‘s chance to salute OTMH Volunteers, to thank them for their accomplishments and achievements. OTMH Volunteers give their time to help patients and visiâ€" tors. The dedicated volunteers of the Auxiliary provided more than 61,000 hours of service to Oakvilleâ€"Trafalgar Memorial Hospital this past year. That is the equivalent of 32 fullâ€"time staff. The organization is indeed busy as they conâ€" tinue to offer nearly 40 different services devoted to enhancing patient care and fund raising. OTMH is proud of the Candy Stripers, who gave 4,807 hours of serâ€" vice over this past year, in addition to the 33 students who provided care and assistance after school and on weekends. The construction and redevelopment of the hospital has provided the Auxiliary with a new, enlarged Gift Shop located in the main lobby. The Preserving Halton‘s heritage A year ago, after nearly 30 years of having to store the artifact collections in a large barn, the Halton Region Museum secured an improved storâ€" age facility in Oakville to better conserve the colâ€" lection. The Museum had a barn full of artifacts to move and no funds to do it with. The Friends of the Museum helped plan the move, secured boxes and packing materials, docuâ€" mented and organized the collection at both ends, and even helped with the transportation. The artiâ€" facts are now safely housed in the new facility. Last year staff noted that the old stove, used for education programming in the Log Cabin, was becoming unsafe. Authentic reproduction or reconâ€" ditioned woodâ€"burning stoves are expensive, cerâ€" tainly cost prohibitive to the Museum. The volunâ€" teers raised money and purchased another stove. By ANN MARIE MICHAUD Have you ever stopped to think about how wonderful a volunteer is? They are someone who helps, not because they have to, but because they want to. I think that the most special part of it all is that a volunteer doesn‘t expect anything in return. They want to do their part in helping the community but money is not the issue, helping is. I feel that a volunteer is a sincere, caring, big hearted person who is willing to give a few hours or more out of their precious time to help make a difference to someone else. I have been a Sheridan College human services administration student for almost two years now and have done my work placement at SENACA Seniors Day Program which is designed for frail, elderly and disâ€" abled adults who live with their families. I can see how much their volunteers mean to them. The volunteers at SENACA are very dedicated, both to their work and most important, to the senior citizens who come to interact with others and to have a good time. They are genâ€" tle, empathetic and compassionate towards all of the seniors. Being a yolunteer myself, I know that sometimes it is a struggle to find the time to give. I am very happy that volunteers are given the recognition that they deserve through Volunteer Week. Maybe it isn‘t said often enough so I‘ll take this opportunity now to offer ‘Three Cheers for Volunteers!" Auxiliary would like to expand the hours of the Gift Shop, and to do this additional volunteers are required. If you are interested in volunteering and have a few hours a week to give, call the auxilâ€" iary office at (905) 338â€"4643. An estimated 200,000 Canadians suffer from Crohn‘s disease and ulceraâ€" tive colitis, two forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The majority of patients are under the age of 35 and 20% of sufferers are children. The Crohn‘s and Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC) is a voluntary, nonâ€" profit medical research foundation dediâ€" cated to finding the cause of and cure for Crohn‘s disease and ulcerative colitis. The Foundation, established in 1974, works to achieve this goal by funding medical research for IBD and supportâ€" ing educational programs for patients and family members, health professionâ€" als and the general public. As a result of public donations and the fund raising efforts of volunteers in 100 Chapters and Satellites across Canada, the CCFC has awarded over $14 million to individual medical Crohn‘s Disease The Halton Region Museum is a busy place with many programs under way at any given time. Volunteers help with research for exhibits, educaâ€" tion programming, collections, special events and respond to public enquiries. They work "behindâ€"theâ€"scenes" with the collecâ€" tions and exhibit construction as well as "onâ€"theâ€" frontâ€"lines" in education programming and special events. Preserving Halton‘s past is a tremendous underâ€" taking. Simply put: It could never be done by staff alone. With the dedication, time, skills, materials, and fellowship contributed by community volunteers who truly care about Halton‘s heritage. If you think you‘d be interested please call Linda Twitchell at 905â€"875â€"2200. The Halton Region Satellite of the Crohn‘s and Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC) is looking for volunâ€" teers to join the CCFC team and help organize activities in Halton Region. The public is invited to attend a volunâ€" teer meeting on Monday, April 25th, at 7 p.m., at Mainway Recreation Centre in Burlington. For further information, contact Dave Nichols at 905â€"637â€"6287. research projects. The CCFC is the largest source of funding for IBD research in Canada and was instrumenâ€" tal in the establishment of intestinal disâ€" ease research units at McMaster University in Hamilton and the University of Calgary. The Satellite‘s primary responsibility is to coâ€"ordinate education programs and fundraising events. In addition to offering members three education meetâ€" ings per year, the Satellite will also be involved in fundraising campaigns including: MM Meat Shops Charity BBQ Day on June 18th; Monster Bingo on Aug. 1st; distribution of coin boxes; "Cakes and Cookies" sales; and supportâ€" ing the "Strikeâ€"Out" campaign (of which Duane Ward, Blue Jay pitcher, is Honorary Chairperson).