'It gives me purpose': Olympic gold medalist encouraging others to volunteer in Calgary hospitals

Isabelle Weidemann has earned multiple Olympic medals representing Team Canada as a long-track speedskater but credits her volunteer efforts off the ice with giving her the extra bit of momentum she needed in her daily life.

“It’s given me a lot of purpose. I felt very connected to a community, you know, often with high-performance sports were quite removed from others so it's been a really incredible experience,” Weidemann said.

“I've met some really fun people, getting to integrate with the staff and learn a little bit more about how hospitals and patient care works.”

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Weidemann, who won a gold, silver and bronze medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, volunteers in the emergency department at the Foothills Medical Centre.

She began doing so in 2021 alongside some of her teammates as isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic brought many of them down.

Volunteering was a way for her and her fellow competitors, who have also joined the AHS hospital program, to give back in between world cup events around the world and ahead of the Winter Olympics.

“When we went to the Beijing 2022 Olympics, just being there knowing that (I) was more than just an athlete or more than just a student was really powerful,” she said.

“I felt a lot of pride representing AHS as a volunteer and giving back to the community a lot. I used that especially at the Olympics when we were in this bubble for six weeks.”

Weidemann’s volunteer story is one of the hundreds at Calgary’s hospitals and she hopes it will inspire others to give back to their community as the demand for more volunteers grows

More volunteers needed

The Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Calgary is scheduled to officially open this fall, but volunteers are still needed to support patients in what’s being called one of the most comprehensive health-care facilities in the world.

About 550 volunteers work around the clock at the Foothills Medical Centre already. Volunteer coordinator Steve Barnes says another 250 to 300 volunteers are needed once the new cancer centre opens up.

“Our patients might not have much experience navigating the hospital, they might be very overwhelmed, emotional or concerned and at that point, the way-finders can come in and calm those nerves,” he said.

“It’s going to be incredibly important to have a full assortment of volunteers once this building opens and if those spots go empty there will be people not having the support they need when they come as a patient or family member.”

Barnes says volunteers help guide patients to where they need to go in the hospital, provide wheelchairs or blankets to those in need and even play board games or engage with those who are recovering in their hospital bed.

For more information on how to volunteer, visit the AHS website.