Volunteer of the Month is Sam McClintock.
Sam's volunteering started at St John and that's where Volunteer Whanganui's Elizabeth Sanson surprised her with a certificate, a badge and a $40 voucher from Mud Ducks. It was a working day.
Sam was nominated by staff at St John.
While she began as a
volunteer, and does still, Sam has actually found herself in paid employment at St John, relieving for Karen Rattray who is the health shuttle co-ordinator for Marton, Waimarino and Whanganui.
"She takes all the bookings . . . and what she has to do is arrange a vehicle and driver, let people know pick-up times, if it's a wheelchair patient, make sure we've got a wheelchair vehicle, that sort of thing."
When Karen is away, Sam shares the job with Carol, a volunteer in Marton.
"I joined as a shuttle volunteer," says Sam. "I am a companion on a Health Shuttle. A companion assists the driver. We have two regular shuttles – one picks up brain injury clients and one picks up renal dialysis patients. Renal patients have a driver and a companion.
"You're at the depot at 5.20am, where you meet the driver. You do your vehicle checks and you do your first pick-up at about 5.45am.
"Patients have to be on the dialysis machines at 7.30 [in Palmerston North Hospital]. It's a central dialysis department: they do three shifts and each shift is four or five hours. Our people are the first ones.
When St John found out Sam could use the computer they asked her to do the shuttle rosters.
"When I retired in 2016 I went down to the Volunteer Centre and put my name down for St John, Whanganui Intermediate and Riding for the Disabled (RDA)." Her work at the school was remedial reading one day a week and she did one day a week at RDA.
She had three volunteer jobs running at once. Both RDA and St John offered her employment, which meant an end to remedial reading.
She has now resigned from her RDA paid position and is looking forward to volunteering with horses and people again and hopes there's an opening for remedial reading at a school.
"I also volunteer with Special Olympics. I'm their treasurer," says Sam, although she would rather be doing something "hands-on" than working in an office.
"I like going to the tournaments, the sports days and helping out there, even doing the lunches."
