Meet Lee ...Continued
This year’s Roger Marple Volunteer Award Recipient is Lee Rinne. With this and the previous blog post you can learn more about Lee and her amazing volunteer efforts!
This is part 2 of questions with Lee Rinne, award recipient of the Roger Marple Volunteer Award. Enjoy getting to know more about Lee and why she volunteers and supports the dementia community.
Q: If you had one piece of advice for someone not sure about how to volunteer within the dementia space, what would you tell them?
A: I often hear, “how do you do what you do? I could never do that!”.… Trust that you are already ready. Within you, is all the compassion, caring and listening skills needed to be a volunteer. You already have the capacity to hold space for another's grief. There is an abundance of room for self discovery, curiousity and patience. As a team we will guide, train and prepare you perfectly for your role as an effective companion. We are always here to support you on your journey. In its simplest form, we are just human beings with human beings. The doubt and concerns, any stigmas and myths will melt away as you spend time with people living with dementia and their caregivers. They, too, are people who want to be cared for, listened to and known as someone who matters.
Q: What was your initial reaction to being told you were the 2025 Roger Marple Volunteer Award recipient?
A: Surprised and honoured to be recognized! To stand on the shoulders of Roger Marple and his vision is very humbling. This truly would not have been possible without the support and partnership of all the PCSBV team and volunteers. I often forget I am volunteering and think of this role as a great way to meet new community members and listen to their stories. Story telling is so important. To have your story captured and stored inside another human being who then goes out into the world carrying your story is priceless. But the best part of being a volunteer is that I get to meet people exactly where they are. Not where they should or could be. It’s really beautiful to stand beside another human and bear witness with nothing added.
Q: Final thoughts…
A: Words from my dad.. Be gentle on yourself. Pat yourself on the back. You’re doing the best you can. He was a wise man.