touch to WHEN PEOPLE come into the emergency ward at Lions Gate Hospital they are frequently uneasy and apprehensive about being in a hospital. But it’s volunteers like’ Barbara Winslow who trv and ease these pecple’s feel- ings and calm their fears. Often, this just means serving coffee and making sure “‘the people who are waiting ase comfcrtable,” Winslow says. But occa- Volunteers sionally the job is not so simple. ‘Sometimes,’ she says, “the volunteer can be left with a relative of a person who has just died. You just sit with them and give them a litele human contact — you try to be empathetic.”’ Winslow, a volunteer for seven years, is just one of over 450 members of the Lions Gate Hospital Aux- iliary who last year donated more than 45,000 hours of their time and energy to help make everyone’s hospital visit -go a little easier: “We're here to heip the pa- tients and do the little things the nurses can’t,” explains Janette Neale, one of the NEWS phate Mike Wekefield HOSPITAL Volunteer Monika Reisenleiter gets Evergreen resident and friend Marion Robson ready for her lunch. MAKE THE PERFECT GET i Ree a 30°° 25,000 CUSTOMERS CAN’T BE WRONG Find out why Regis eystom frames more pictures than anyone ‘else in BC. and seve 45% on metal & selecting wood custom frames DOWNTOWN * 1168 Robeson St. 669-5721 * OPEN SUNDAY NORTH VAN’ 1320 Marine Dr. 984-8469 (across frm Canadian Tire} Ask for details of our unique money-back guarantee Regis gift certificates also make the perfect gift FRAMED DECORATOR PRINTS (10x12 approa.} GREAT SELECTION inctudi::g Markinaf, Bateman, Heighton, etc. Framed in custom quality decor alurninum and featuring hand-cut double mats. GREAT VALUE. Regis PICTURES & FRAMES WEST VAN 1432 Marine Dr. 922-3513 atients thwick, “contribute fantastically to the hospital.” He calls the Aunxiliary’s vice-presidents. “It’s to add to the com- fort,’ says Bonnie Con- acher, the Auxiliary’s other vice-president. ‘‘We help ease the patients."’ PROVIDE COMFORT The Auxiliary provides “the extras,’’ as Neale puts it, by offering more than 20 services including the library, thrift shop, direc- tory, emergency room sup- port, patient grooming and flower care. All the services are staffed by volunteers who put in three hours a week working in one of these categories. Monika Reisenleiter, a three-year volunteer, calls her work in the hospital’s extended care Evergreen House “lots of fun.” A large part of the shift for the part-time student and mother of two involves just spending time with the resi- dents. “I go to the people —I talk to ther. or just let them talk,’’ she explains. ‘‘They need the feeling that some- one is taking the time to list.:. What they mostly need is love.’ IMPORTANT WORK It’s in these ways, says LGH president John Bor- that the volunteers volunteers’ work “a very important kind of thing they do.”” “‘They do this extra (work),”” he says. ‘‘I don't think we could afford to take staff time to do the things they do.” The Auxiliary assists the hospital in fisiancial ways as well, explains Conacher. The organization donates money to the hospital ‘“‘over and above the budget” to help purchase needed equipment, she says. In 1981, the Auxiliary assisted the hospital by con- tributing $200,000 towards the purchase of a sophisticated Computerized Tomography (CT) Scanner X-ray machine. This year, the Auxiliary has pledged to pitch in over $115,000 towards the purchase of new equipment to be used in the treatment of heart problems. The money comes from the proceeds of the Dogwood and thrift shops. “Ours is an active volun- teer group,”” says Neale, ex- plaining the Auxiliary’s members are required to contribute a minimum of 40 hours per year. But, she adds, ‘‘a lot of our members have over 200 hours per year.”* Ideal Christmas Gifts Tamiya Modei Cars 399° RIC system, battery, charger are sold separately Other Remote Controlled Cars $74.99 Full function Righd swing system Head-lights Te HORE ea $17.99 Wild Willy $149.99 Frog $149.99 Subaru Brat $109.99 Pajero $89.99 Grasshopper $79.99 $29.99 Alt Embroidery Tablecloths 20% off. Main Store 2881 Cambie St. Van 1248 Marine Ds, North Van (Next to Save-on-Foods) (604) 984-0967 (604) 872-0961 N. Van Store (Pemberton Plaza)