For more than 30 years, volunteer photographer Stefan Mayer has captured important moments at The Ottawa Hospital, from awards ceremonies to newborn photos. Soon to turn 97, he will leave behind an incredible legacy when he retires from his volunteer career with us later this fall.

Maxime Bilodeau was inspired to volunteer with The Ottawa Hospital after spending time in the acute care and rehabilitation units. “I saw the work that a lot of the volunteers were doing. After I got discharged, as soon as I was able to, I started to volunteer,” he recalls.

Bao-Anh Vuong has been volunteering with The Ottawa Hospital since high school. Now, 10 years later, she is a nurse at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, and part of a team of experienced volunteers who recruit and onboard new volunteers.

For Jocelyn Niven, volunteering is a way of life. “It’s the way I was brought up,” she explains. “I come from an army family. My mum volunteered us for everything as far back as I remember.” Now a military veteran herself, Jocelyn is moderator of the hospital’s high school co-op program.

A cancer diagnosis is a life-changing event marked by uncertainty. Though each patient’s journey is different, volunteer Joanna Reid and The Ottawa Hospital’s Chemo Teach program give patients beginning chemotherapy an overview of what they can expect from their treatment.

Retiree Claude Bédard volunteers with The Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre. After partnering with the Centre’s recreation department, Claude and a few other volunteers began hosting a coffee club, serving coffee and good conversation to patients twice a week.