Sakura House Volunteer Wins June Callwood Award

Thursday, 22 April 2021 at 05:57

Pat Csinos has been volunteering with VON Sakura House for six years and she's the winner of the 2020 June Callwood Award.

WOODSTOCK - It's National Volunteer Week and a local volunteer from Woodstock has won the 2020 HPCO June Callwood Award.

Pat Csinos volunteers for VON Oxford at Sakura House. She says she rejected the idea at first when her sister-in-law suggested it.

"I resisted it. I had a fear of saying the wrong thing, doing the wrong thing."

It took a year and a half to get over those fears. She's been a volunteer for 6 years now and hasn't looked back. VON Oxford is thrilled to have her on board and are so very grateful she made that first step to join their team as a volunteer.

The June Callwood award is presented to people who demonstrate selfless service, generosity of spirit, compassion and a commitment to excellence.

Pat Csinos meets every piece of this criteria and the organization is thrilled to have her on board. Pat started volunteering with VON Oxford in 2014 as a Personal Care Assistant at Sakura House. This position is used to provide extra emotional support to patients and family members. Csinos went above and beyond finding new ways to help out including volunteering with the Sakura House memorial services, creating bears for the Memory Bear Program, assisting in various holiday meals, providing overnight respite to patients, facilitating Kids’ Circle and Teens’ Circle groups and other special activities, and signing up to volunteer at the Handbags for Hospice and Hike for Hospice fundraising events.

She recently started volunteering as a one-on-one hospice and bereavement volunteer to support people during the pandemic. Csinos says her work with families and patients is a true privilege.

"There is an emotional intimacy in being with someone at the end of their life. They have had so many losses already – loss of independence, loss of health. I am drawn to speak with them about their losses. Sometimes it is easier for them to talk to a stranger, so they don't burden their family. They can find peace."

Care and Service Manager Janine Jackson says our staff and volunteers couldn't be more proud to work alongside Pat Csinos.

"Pat is a very and gentle person and I couldn't think of a more deserving volunteer than Pat to receive this award. Pat always goes above and beyond and puts her patients and families needs first. It is truly a blessing to have her as a volunteer. We are so grateful to Pat Csinos for her amazing volunteer service these past six and half years!"