Volunteer

We love our volunteers!

Volunteer activities at CHEO are currently suspended due to COVID-19.
Updates regarding the volunteer program will be posted below when available.

Update from Volunteer Resources - January 13, 2021

Dear CHEO Volunteers:

First, thank you so much for your service and enthusiasm for being onsite to help support children and youth at CHEO. Your contribution is always amazing.

As mentioned last night, we have reached a decision in light of the province’s new emergency orders instructing everyone to stay home when you can. CHEO supports public health initiatives to help prevent community spread of COVID-19 and for this reason we want to support you in doing the same.

We are going to temporarily pause our volunteer programming effective tonight at 12:01 am to align with the Premier’s timing, and we’ll bring you back onsite as of February 11 or when the emergency orders are lifted. This means no volunteers should plan to be onsite as of January 14, 2020. All shifts for the next 3+ weeks have been cancelled.

This pandemic is anything but normal and the situation changes quickly. On behalf of CHEO’s Executive team, your supervisors on the units and all of us – please know how much we appreciate your service. We truly cannot wait to have you back onsite.

Stay safe at home! If you have any questions, we are always here for you.

Andrea, Nanette and Stephanie

Update from Volunteer Resources - July 20, 2020

Dear CHEO Volunteers

We are excited to share that CHEO will be welcoming back volunteers in a phased capacity, with some starting as early as July 20th.

For right now, a small group of returning volunteers will be invited to resume their normal activities with some modifications to allow for physical distancing and current operations, for example. This first phase of reintroducing volunteers will run through the summer, and we will be evaluating how things are going and how to proceed into fall.

Not all roles will be returning right away. Some services are simply not up and running yet or are running differently.

There is no pressure to return, either. Deciding to wait to return is supported fully by our team. Your volunteer role will not be jeopardized.

We will reach out to you directly if your role will be returning, and to discuss whether or not you wish to return – we appreciate your patience as we get this work underway.

Take care,

the Volunteer Resources Team

Volunteer Update from Volunteer Resources - April 6, 2020

To all of our volunteers and volunteers-to-be -

We hope this finds you all healthy and well. We miss seeing your friendly faces every day! It's a very different and, for many, challenging time and we wanted to check in on you all and give a bit of an update as to what's been happening at CHEO while you have been away.

As you can imagine, CHEO staff have been very busy responding to the pandemic, ensuring that our kids, families, and staff can stay healthy and safe and that we can make sure kids and families have the supports they need even in this unusual time. Staff who are not needed in the building to do their jobs are working remotely from home, and many have shifted away from their regular duties to support initiatives like screening families and fellow staff at entrances, helping inpatient families, and pitching in where needed.

CHEO is working to help plank the curve, and has restricted visitors, cancelled non-urgent procedures etc. until at least the end of April. Unfortunately, this also means that we will not be able to welcome you back to CHEO as we had hoped in mid-April. We hope that the community's efforts of physical distancing will help us all to reconnect later this spring. We will be in touch about a clear return date. The CHEO website is regularly updated with information on COVID-19. Check it out here to learn more: https://www.cheo.on.ca/en/visiting-cheo/covid-19.aspx

We know this has been difficult for many people, and want to tell you that it is okay to not be okay. We are here for you too. The Distress Centre is also a wonderful resource that can be accessed 24/7 at 613-238-3311.

Stay connected and healthy, friends. We hope to see you soon.
The Volunteer Resources Team

Volunteer Update from Alex Munter - March 15, 2020

Dear CHEO Volunteers

CHEO has been carefully monitoring the COVID-19 situation in the best interest of the children, youth and families we serve, and of course all of you. Our volunteers give so much back and provide such wonderful energy and compassion. We are grateful for your generous donation of time and positive energy.

After careful consideration, we have decided to cancel all volunteer shifts at CHEO (including off-site locations and the treatment centre), effective immediately.

We have heard you – your questions about travel and your concern about keeping our families and kids safe and healthy. CHEO currently has no cases of COVID-19 but we always want to be proactive and responsive – to put everyone’s safety first.

We will miss your friendly faces and purple vests around CHEO. Each of you enriches the patient experience at CHEO and so this will be a loss for our families. But it’s just for now, not forever, and we look forward to seeing you all back again soon.

We are hoping to resume volunteer activities on April 15, though this date could change sooner or later depending on the impact of COVID-19 in our community.

Thank you so much for everything you do for our kids and families at CHEO.
Alex Munter

CHEO Loves Volunteers!

At CHEO, volunteers play an integral role. Over 700 volunteers invest tirelessly to enhance the services and resources that we provide to children, youth and their families. CHEO volunteers bring abundant talents to our hospital, development and rehabilitation services and classrooms, in effort to create a supportive, productive and ever-friendly environment.

Our volunteer program runs throughout the year.

There's many ways to volunteer at CHEO! You can: