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2010 VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

Meet Pam Russ

Pam has been a Children’s Ability Fund volunteer for almost twenty years and although she often says she has been “voluntold” she has been a willing participant in just about every special event  the Children’s Ability Fund has been a part of.

 

As a shy pre teen she started volunteering at the Kuder Christmas party for children with disabilities and  Pam says her early experiences made an impact on her choices’ in life.  Her involvement with the Children’s Ability Fund led to her work at Camp He Ho Ha as a counsellor for 6 years and led to many other  opportunities to work with children with disabilities.   

 

Her experiences have influenced her choice of a career in health care and her desire to help people.  Pam is a Recreational Therapist at the Glenrose Hospital working with spinal cord injury patients and is also a certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor.

Pam’s favourite events are ones where she gets to work with the Children’s Ability Fund clients like Rodeo Magic - where she can be found assisting a child with a disability onto a horse for their very first  riding experience -  and Monday Morning Magic where she sees first hand the joy of a day at the fair giving hundreds of children an opportunity to enjoy these events away from the hustle and bustle of the crowds

 

Pam believes that volunteering helps to see that you can make a difference – and in volunteering for an organization like the Children’s Ability Fund you see some of the challenges people face

 

“I volunteer because it reminds me how lucky I am. I have been given so much in life and believe it’s important to give as well.  In helping others, I am reminded that we are all in this together and we need to remember to support each other. Life has so much to offer if we remember look beyond ourselves.”

 

Over the years Pam has recruited many of her friends to help at Children’s Ability Fund events and now is most often seen with her husband in tow - manning a booth, selling 50/50 tickets, blowing up balloons or a myriad of other activities  - all to help the Children’s Ability Fund raise funds and awareness for people with disabilities

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