JoAnn Cunningham says the rewards she receives when doing volunteer work are as varied as the volunteer work she does… and Cunningham keeps busy.
She has been an active member of Knox United Church for many years and is currently the board chair at the church. This just scratches the surface of her time volunteering.
Cunningham is also the Chair of the Board of the Citizens Advisory Committee at the Drumheller Institution. This is her second year.
“The CAC is meant to be a liaison between the community and the penitentiary. We meet monthly and hear what is happening at the penitentiary and we bring learning we have from the community to those meetings,” she explains
She says right now
fentanyl is a big topic with CAC as well as planning for the 50th anniversary of the Drumheller Institution coming up in September.
Once a week she also volunteers at Continuing Care.
“Once a week we have a sing-along with residents,” she explains.
“At Continuing Care, I like to see the joy on the faces of the people we work with there.”
She also lends her voice to Pioneer Trail Singers, who often perform at special events such as Remembrance Day, Sunshine Lodge and other community events.
“Why do I sing in the choir? They are people my age who just have a joy of singing, and we have a wonderful conductor and pianist, so you can’t get any better than that,” she said.
Volunteerism brings a great reward of friendship.
“There is a camaraderie with the people you work with, people you volunteer with and other people you encounter,” she said.
It can also expand your worldview.
“It makes you see a world broader than the one we live in and I think it is good to see that you can help other people. I think it is good for my own state of wellbeing to get me out of the house and doing things with other people,” she said.
“It helps you show empathy for others and appreciate your own station in life because you see people who are far worse off and they are living their life.”