John H. is one of the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre’s most dedicated volunteers.
A member of the Volunteer Association board since 2003, John’s involved not only in meetings for about four hours a month, but he puts in another 300 hours each year helping to organize special projects like the annual Comedy Night.
According to John, typical board and committee meetings are both informative and interesting, as they’re a great opportunity to learn more about the hospital, the clients it serves and the people who work together to make it all possible.
An employee with Health Canada, John thought it would be a good idea to get more involved in the community. “Volunteering with the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre offered an opportunity to provide the most direct positive impact as mental health seems to be the ‘orphan child’ of the health-care system,” he says.
John credits his volunteer work with helping him grow personally and expand his people and communications skills. He’s also learned how to effectively work in a board environment while meeting many interesting and fun people also dedicated to supporting mental health.
“My most memorable experience is the fun we had at the annual Comedy Night in 2006 where I worked with the comic hosting the event to get the audience prepared for a photo shoot in our attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the most clown noses worn at an indoor event,” he chuckles.
“We didn’t set a record – in 2007 we will – but all 562 of us had a lot of fun that night and a lot of laughs!”
When asked if he could tell others one thing about volunteering at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, John says “Just do it! You won’t regret it and by helping others you will help yourself in more ways than you can imagine.”