Pulling Together in Difficult Times

In times of uncertainty the human spirit and sense of kindness cannot be broken. After the COVID-19 shutdown and concerns on how to safely restart our driving services once permitted, we never felt defeated.

The VCDS Volunteer Dispatchers and Drivers are back where they have anxiously been waiting to be, coordinating rides and driving patients to appointments.  Before starting up again on June 22nd the preparation to safely accommodate patients was a success because of a group of VCDS Board of Directors, dedicated volunteers and a handful of generous suppliers we could safely drive high-risk cancer patients to appointments.

Bob Smith,  VCDS President says,

“Our future service will look and feel different but will remain consistent with our sole objective – getting cancer patients in need of their appointments, safely, on time, with compassion and understanding.” 

To achieve this, the board consulted with health professionals on what best practices and protocols we must follow for the health and safety of our volunteers and patients.

Read our INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL POLICY (IPAC)

 https://www.volunteercancerdrivers.ca/contact/covid-19

While all this consulting was going on, several volunteers and board members, Orrie Babuik and Larry Coleman pulled together to get health and safety kits prepared and out to our drivers. A few zoom meetings, emails, and challenging work the plan to get us driving again came together. We want to thank the following people for their excellence and generosity of time and supplies when we most needed it.

We cannot go on without thanking our Volunteer Dispatchers and Drivers who also were a major part in getting us up and running again.

VCDS Volunteers

Thank you, Laura Robinson, for making 140 cloth masks and to Jacki Bostock for donating 50 disposable masks.

Thanking Jacki & Andrew Bostock, Sharon Boudreau, Sandy Branning, Orrie Babuik, Larry Coleman, and Bill Ruppel for assembling the safety kits to be delivered to VCDS drivers throughout the lower mainland.

Danielle Richards

Thank you, Danielle for your time and expertise as a health care professional and producing the Infection Protection guidance and instructional safety video for our volunteer drivers to understand proper techniques for using the safety kits. Also recognizing Dean Callaghan, VCDS Director for shooting the video.

Cap Shields donated by Vital Manufacturing of Surrey

The “Giving Back Team” at Vital Manufacturing of Surrey has donated 150 cap shields which we have distributed to our Volunteer Drivers.

VCDS President Bob Smith said,

“It is a very generous donation given an opportune time, just as we were assembling PPE kits for our drivers. As we return to service drivers are now equipped with masks, cap shields, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes, part of the new protocols to protect drivers and patients.”

CANASK

Canask is a group of volunteers who came together to fight COVID-19 by distributing locally made & donated PPE.  VCDS Director Larry Coleman was volunteering with them during our temporary shut down when we were offered a generous gift.

Kristina Kearley with Canask supplied us with over 1000 fabric mask for our drivers and patients to wear while being transported to and from their appointments.

AG Hair

AG Hair donated 20 cases of hand sanitizer so that our 220 drivers all have a bottle of sanitizer to keep in their vehicle while driving cancer patients to and from treatments.  We hope you know how deeply appreciative we are of your gift in helping to keep not only the cancer patients but our drivers as well safe.

Pharmasave-White Rock (101 – 1688 152nd Street Surrey).

Jason Chan, Pharmacy Manager donated 50 Disposable Masks and 150 Bottles of pharmacy grade hand sanitizer.

Chinese Christian Mission (CCM)

80 reusable masks and 100 disposable masks from the Chinese Christian Mission (CCM), a non-profit community organization. We are thankful to Terries Chow, Director of Caring for their generosity and their commitment to making more masks if we need them.