The Impact of Volunteers at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre

For Megan Valente, those small, everyday moments are what define the impact volunteers have at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.

It’s the exhausted patient arriving at the front entrance and being helped into a wheelchair to their appointment. The cancer centre patient feeling unwell and being offered a ginger ale. The patient who is visited daily by a Hospital Elder Life volunteer, helping them forget, if only briefly, that they are in the hospital. “These small interactions can make a big difference in a patient’s experience,” says Valente, Coordinator of Volunteer Services at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.

Valente has been with Volunteer Services at the Health Sciences Centre since 2018. Her interest in the work was originally sparked in a previous role with the Health Sciences Foundation, where volunteers were part of her portfolio. “I saw how selfless volunteers were and the difference they made for patients and families,” she says. “I knew those were the type of people I wanted to work with.” Today, she supports, guides, and oversees the hospital’s volunteer program that touches nearly every part of the hospital, from recruitment, onboarding, and training to placement, recognition, and ongoing support, while working closely with departments to ensure volunteers enhance the patient and family experience.

“No two days are ever exactly the same,” she says. “At the heart of it, my role is really about building relationships and connection.” Through her work, Valente has gained a deeper appreciation for the role community plays in healthcare. While volunteers are not part of clinical care, she says they offer something just as important—compassion, support, and human connection.

“It’s not just about clinical care, it’s also about compassion, dignity, and connection,” she says. “Volunteers bring a human element that can make a meaningful difference.” Over time, the volunteer program has continued to evolve, expanding opportunities across the hospital and placing greater emphasis on meaningful roles, training, and support to ensure volunteers feel confident and valued. That impact is made possible by the dedication volunteers bring to their roles each day. “They show up in snowstorms, on holidays, and even when things are going on in their personal lives, and they do so with a smile,” Valente says. “Volunteers at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre are truly exceptional people.”

As National Volunteer Week concludes, Valente has a simple message:

“The biggest thing I want to share with volunteers is the most sincere thank you I can. Thank you for showing up week after week for patients and families. Thank you for being an inspiring part of our community,” she says. “People like you are what make our city and community great, and I just hope you know how appreciated you are.”