Deborah McGrath was honoured when she received a Volunteer Service Award for 10 years of service with the Alzheimer Society of Simcoe County (ASSC) in June.
"Volunteers are the backbone of Ontario communities,” said Michael Ford, Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism, in a news release in April. “Through the Ontario Volunteer Service Awards, we honour the outstanding volunteers who touch our lives and recognize their ongoing dedication and service to the well-being of their communities and our province.”
She was first inspired to get involved with the society in 2010 when her mother-in-law Myrtle, died of complications due to Alzheimer's disease and related dementia.
In her tenure, she participated in tag-along days, Coffee Break at Tollendale Village, and the Speakers Bureau at ASSC.
“I was (the) lead volunteer of the Speakers Bureau together with the volunteer coordinator and a couple of other employees who worked extremely hard,” McGrath said. “We put together a very comprehensive program to create a Speakers Bureau and to train volunteers.”
McGrath was recognized for a decade of service with a certificate and a commemorative pin.
“We are so fortunate to have had Deb McGrath share her passion and skil set with our society as a volunteer over the past 10 years,” ASSC branch chief executive officer Ann-Marie Kungl said. “She is a brilliant Toastmaster and has been training and mentoring volunteers in our Speakers Bureau for years.”
According to the society, 350 people are diagnosed with dementia every day in Canada. There are about 11,500 people living with dementia in Simcoe County.
“It is projected Ontario will have an increase of 202 per cent in people diagnosed with dementia over the next three decades,” Kungl said.
McGrath said there are more than 140 forms of dementia. She called the society “one of the most underfunded, undervalued organizations.”
“I'm a mid-boomer, as is my husband ... Those stats are coming at us fast and furious, and we do not have ... the support services in place.”
When she emceed the IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s — which is held annually in over 150 communities as Canada’s largest fundraising and awareness event for Alzheimer’s and other dementias — McGrath shared that her husband was diagnosed with early dementia.
Subsequently, McGrath is stepping away from the ASSC so she can focus on their health and further support her husband. She noted that she is taking the society’s online advocacy course, which will help her speak about the issues surrounding dementia when opportunities present themselves.
“I walked into the Alzheimer's Society about a month ago on a Friday, and I walked in as a volunteer and I walked out as a client,” McGrath said.
“I still feel very strongly about my connection to this organization because they helped me. They helped my father-in-law ... (and) my husband's family ... We've come full circle now.”
Driven to volunteer by her family's tradition of public service — her parents were in the military and both of her grandfathers served in the First World War — she called volunteerism a "driving force (that) you either understand ... or you don't. But I always encourage people to try volunteering. It doesn't take a lot of time.”
"We wonder why volunteers don't step up. They need to feel appreciated ... The validation piece is lovely, but that's not why most volunteers do it. They do it because they want to give something back ... They have a skill they can offer or a set of skills they can offer. There's a thousand reasons why people volunteer and volunteer organizations would collapse without them. We know that, and it is just a lot of fun.”
Speaking of the ASSC in particular, McGrath said: “It’s a wonderful organization with which to learn and give back in the community. And if you love to speak, there's a Speakers Bureau. If you love doing crafts, there are Minds In Motion. There's all kinds of different programs, or just spending time with someone.”
“It's a big piece of what we should be doing as a community organization and as a civil society,” McGrath said.
To learn more about the society, visit its website.
