December 7, 2020
“My favourite thing about it is that it’s super-inclusive,” says volunteer Christina Iskander about the READY program. “The people that I’m volunteering with — we’re all close, we’re all there for a good reason, and we all want to help. It’s a positive environment to be a part of.”
READY volunteer Julius Ho strikes a pose during a shift at Emily’s Window, the Red Thread gift shop at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
Story by Alison Eresman | Photos by Paul Rotzinger & Leah Hennel
When Cheryl Wallace and Chris Paddock came up with the idea for the READY program six years ago, Calgary Zone gift shops were struggling to fill volunteer shifts on evenings and weekends.
“We looked at which volunteers were here every week, who is always excited about taking on new tasks and who thrives on these shifts,” says Wallace, a revenue supervisor in Volunteer Resources. “We started making a list of these volunteers and realized many of them were high school students.”
Wallace, with a background in child and youth development, saw an opportunity to create a program that would support the gift shops as well as benefit local youth.
The READY program — an acronym for Red Thread Engaging and Developing Youth — helps young people gain retail experience as they develop leadership skills and learn workplace etiquette at Red Thread gift shops at the Foothills Medical Centre, Alberta Children’s Hospital and the Peter Lougheed Medical Centre.
“It’s not just about teaching them how to operate the till,” says Wallace. “We’re also teaching them the importance of being on time and calling ahead when they’re going to be late. We make a full commitment to provide them that guidance and feedback.”
Over the summer, new volunteers undertake a comprehensive training program and begin working in the gift shops in September. After a year in the program, volunteers are expected to move into a leadership position and take on more responsibility in training the next round of volunteers. To assist in their growth, Volunteer Resources has started a comprehensive youth leadership training program for first-year volunteers, teaching them leadership concepts such as learning styles and how to give feedback.
“I’ve learned a lot about dealing with people and about being more sympathetic,” says READY volunteer Christina Iskander. “People have tough days, and they’re in the hospital for a reason. You don’t always put that into perspective. You start to feel more sympathetic towards them. It’s made me a better person.”
Iskander volunteers at Foothills Medical Centre where she’s also a leader volunteer for 2020-21.
“It’s also taught me hard-working values,” she adds. “I have to manage my time in my shift to get everything done.”
Fellow READY volunteer Julius Ho says: “It’s a lot more responsibility because my coordinator has me doing a couple more things than I previously did.” As a volunteer at Emily’s Window, the gift shop in Alberta Children’s Hospital, Ho also became a leader volunteer for 2020-21. “Plus, I’ve gotten a chance to expand my leadership skills and skill set.”
READY has again helped to keep gift shops open in 2020. When volunteer programs and gift shops relaunched in June as the province eased public health restrictions, several high-risk volunteers did not feel comfortable returning. Wallace notes that youth volunteers were instrumental to the gift shops re-opening, adding that they “came back in the highest numbers and picked up and covered a substantial number of shifts.”
Ho adds: “I knew some of the older volunteers wouldn’t be as comfortable returning, so when we got the email about gift shops re-opening, I thought I would be better suited to return. I wanted to help out where I could.”
Wallace says the gift shops are important to AHS hospitals, both as a welcome respite for patients and staff as well as for fundraising. Proceeds from gift shops have been donated towards the purchase of new hospital equipment, to support patient comfort and care initiatives, and to fund various patient programs run by Volunteer Resources.
“We want to be able to be open, to be that oasis in the hospital, but also to ensure that we are supporting the patient care and comfort initiatives moving forward,” says Wallace.
“They’re pretty valuable… they do provide a smile, a little joy in a dark time,” says Iskander. “We’re in a hospital which can be a sad setting, but being able to help and put a smile on someone’s face in a difficult time – it’s something people underestimate, but it’s needed.”
