This summer, Lori will celebrate her one year anniversary as a front desk volunteer at Wellspring Downtown Toronto. Inspired by a meaningful volunteer experience abroad that changed her perspective, Lori knew she wanted to keep volunteering once she came back to Canada. “Wellspring felt like a natural fit,” says Lori. “My mom attended programs at Wellspring Westerkirk House during her experience with cancer. It was so helpful to her and I wanted to give back.  By volunteering at Wellspring I now feel connected to, and part of the community that was once so beneficial to my mom’s recovery.”

As a front desk volunteer, Lori is one of the first people members meet when they come to Wellspring. Lori greets new and returning members, answers the phone and helps people navigate to where they need to be.

Every volunteer at Wellspring goes through extensive volunteer training. “I loved the volunteer training,” says Lori. “It taught me valuable life skills like active listening and I found it personally fulfilling.” The training also provided a place for Lori to talk openly about her mom’s experience with other people who had a connection to cancer, which is something Lori felt she lacked during her mother’s treatment.

“I love working with people and being in an environment like Wellspring where I feel connected to other people’s experiences, “says Lori. “I like talking with the other volunteers and members and hearing their stories. Best of all, I continually feel appreciated and that I am a valuable asset to the organization.”

Volunteering is something that Lori is passionate about and she encourages others to do the same if they have the time. “By volunteering at Wellspring, I feel I play an important role in enabling Wellspring to continue to provide its programs and services free of charge to people in need, and that is so important.”