Honouring volunteers in the caring services, The Elaine Hall Award was founded in 2000 as a Toronto Dollar Initiative. Each year three recipients are chosen to receive the award.

Barbara Hall, the former Mayor on Toronto, honoured last year’s winners: Thern Hicking, Bill Wade and Mary Duncan at the Toronto Dollar Party, in the St Lawrence Market.

Thern Hicking: A volunteer with Trinity Home Hospice since 1990. Her energy, flexibility and reliability earned her the respect and the gratitude of the early coordinators of the hospice program. "You can place Thern with anyone and know that it will be a successful match." one of the current staff remarked.

Thern has provided sensitive and compassionate care to many clients as a member of care teams and as a relief volunteer. Her rich life experience and broad interests help her to establish rapport by discovering common interests and sharing stories.

Her varied nursing experience and her background in Social Work have also meant that she can be reliably placed in difficult situations.

Thern has participated in the volunteer training as a trainer and has given many hours to various administrative tasks in the office. Over the past year, she has organized and filed the hospice archives. Her cheery and efficient presence was a welcome addition to the hospice office.

For over 30 years, she has supported the Girl Guides of Canada both in direct and administrative capacities.

Her commitment to volunteering runs deep and exemplifies the values of the Elaine Hall Caring Services Award.

 

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Bill Wade: Client Care Volunteer/Leader for CommunityCARE Home Hospice, Toronto, Ontario. Here is a life that matters greatly to the well-being of so many…. Bill Wade, by training a registered nurse, spends his workday with the HIV expedite team and in the wound clinic at St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto. As well, he works as a supply nurse providing pastoral care support in the palliative unit of Toronto Grace Hospital. At the end of an already demanding day, Bill divides his personal time between:

CommunityCARE Home Hospice of Toronto, where he mentors and supports others s a team coach

One-on-one encounters with hospice clients who benefit from his knowledge and warm, loving manner

Service on the 519 Health Bus providing nursing care to homeless /disadvantaged people from the inner city

Spearheading the annual clothing drive for the homeless at St. Michael's Hospital, several times a month personally picking up clothing in his car and delivering them to the hospital from where they are distributed to those in need

Placement of collection boxes throughout St. Michael’s and posting fliers advising of the pick up of this clothing Facilitation and leadership, as a cancer survivor, with a cancer support group

Public speaking on cancer and survival as part of a speakers’ bureau

Delivery of the Toronto Star gift boxes at Christmas, ensuring that disadvantaged individuals and families are able to enjoy the festive season

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Mary Duncan: Before Trinity Hospice was created Mary was involved with others in assisting families facing terminal illness to mobilize their friends and relatives to create a "care team", enabling the individual to stay in their homes as long as they wished. In many instances people actually died at home. It was from these early experiences that Mary's caring and compassion were fully evident.

When Trinity Hospice was created Mary became the first "resource person", a *part-time position* that saw Mary working ten or more hours per day (i.e. most of her effort was volunteer.)

She worked in conjunction with Elaine Hall to organize the first care team at Trinity Hospice Toronto.
She also assisted individuals with disabilities to establish small "support teams" making it possible for them to participate in community events, for example going to church.

Since leaving Trinity Hospice Mary has been a key member on numerous care teams and has woven her experiences over these many years into a rich resource for all who come in contact with her.
In her quiet unassuming way Mary is a source of comfort and inspiration to those that come in contact with her.