Volunteer Opportunities

We appreciate your interest in wanting to volunteer at Deer Lodge Centre. Volunteer opportunities exist in patient care areas, non-patient care areas, retail, special events and fundraising.

The following list provides a sampling of our volunteer roles. Availability of volunteer roles will vary.

Auxiliary Members

• All volunteers automatically become members of the Auxiliary which means they can attend general meetings and be elected to Executive positions.
• The Executive of the Auxiliary is made up of elected volunteers who take on the responsibility of Executive duties in addition to actively volunteering in the Centre. They raise funds to help support resident and patient needs. They are responsible for the operations of the Dancing Bear Gift Shop as well as various other fundraising events such as our annual silent auction and Christmas craft & bake sale, annual plant sale, Second Debut sales and many more events.

Friendly Visitor

• Volunteers will have the opportunity to spend time one-on-one with residents and patients talking, playing cards, reading books aloud and going for walks

Recreation

• Volunteers support recreation programs for residents and patients by assisting in a variety of activities such as crafts, baking, bingo, gardening, going for walks, transporting residents to and from activities etc.

Spiritual Health

• Volunteers work in a variety of roles including: spiritual visitors, musicians, chapel assistant, transporting and accompanying residents and patients who wish to attend services within the Centre, spiritual events, discussion groups and hymn sings.

Gift Shop

• Volunteers provide friendly and courteous customer service to residents, patients, visitors and staff in the DLC Auxiliary Gift Shop. They will work with a peer volunteer on each shift. Duties include operating the cash register and handling cash, restocking shelves, pricing, keeping the shop tidy etc.
• All proceeds support resident and patient care

Chad’s Bar

• Volunteers must have the Smart Choices – responsible service certification.
• There are two roles available in this area:
• Bartender – serves beverages, handles transactions, manages stock
• Server – assists bartender with serving beverages, keeps area tidy, interacts and helps customers

Meal Assistance

• Volunteer duties include transporting residents/patients to and from the dining room, assist with the meal as required and provide friendly conversation if appropriate.

Front Entrance Greeter

• Volunteers greet and provide directions to all patients and visitors entering the Centre. At times they may also physically escort residents and visitors to their destination.

Life Story

• Volunteers assist in the writing of a short life story for selected residents to be shared with their caregivers. The intent of this project is to provide information to the health care worker to establish a meaningful relationship and improve overall care.

Nutrition

• Volunteers assist our Clinical Dieticians and help education residents and patients on healthy food selections and assist them in identifying food preferences and foods that may cause discomforts.

Musician

• Volunteers would provide music for recreational programs, spiritual health programs and other programs throughout the Centre.

Special Events

• Volunteers help out with many special events throughout the year such as Remembrance Day Service, Family Day celebration, holiday celebrations, barbecues etc. Volunteers assist with set up and cleanup of the event, assist with transporting and accompanying residents and patients to and from the event, serving food and visiting with participants.