Joyce Bell was Grand River Regional Cancer Centre’s very first volunteer when it opened in 2004.

“I had applied to Grand River Regional Cancer Centre before the building was completed,” Joyce recalled. “I did tours for the public of the Cancer Centre before it officially opened and worked the first shift of the Monday it opened.”

Ed Cober and his wife have been coming to Grand River Hospital for more than a decade. Ed’s wife is a Kidney Care patient who regularly receives dialysis at the Hospital, a procedure that helps patients by cleaning their blood when their kidneys no longer can. Patients typically require dialysis three times every week, with each treatment lasting for about four hours—Ed and wife have been coming to Grand River Hospital on a regular basis since 2011.

Meet Justin Hammond, a Grand River Hospital volunteer who has taken on numerous roles throughout the Hospital. Since he began volunteering in January 2018, Justin has volunteered in the Emergency Department, with the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP), as an Information and Portering volunteer, with Grand Venture (the Foundation’s online shop in support of the Hospital), and by giving hospital tours for new volunteers and employees.

John Lindsay has a personal connection to Grand River Hospital that led him to become a volunteer.

“As a former Grand River Hospital patient, I felt a great desire to give back to both the Hospital and the community,” John told us.