Theresa Bellows, volunteer co-ordinator, fosters a compassionate community of volunteers at Dulcina Hospice

It was a long and challenging road that brought Theresa Bellows to her current role as volunteer co-ordinator at Dulcina Hospice, a Covenant Care centre in Calgary.

A former travel agent and stay-at-home mom, Theresa is a cancer survivor whose personal experience led her to volunteer for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for 10 years. It was the experience gained through that volunteer role, coupled with her own brush with mortality, that drew her to work in the hospice setting.

“I definitely think my experience as a cancer survivor impacted my choice of workplace,” says Theresa. “It certainly drove me to pursue a new career, and having personally experienced a potentially life-ending condition made me more aware of end-of-life care and gave me the desire to see that it’s done well. It takes courage to step into this world, and my personal experience gave me that.”

Theresa has served as the volunteer co-ordinator at Dulcina Hospice since the facility first opened in 2015. Her role involves managing and overseeing all volunteer activity at the hospice, including recruiting, training and supporting volunteers, who in turn support residents and their families. She also develops and creates programs that support the goals of people at end of life, whatever those goals might be, which typically involves recruiting specific volunteers who help make them a reality.

It takes a lot of elbow grease to keep Dulcina Hospice up and running and supporting its residents and their families, says Theresa. The Calgary-based facility is Canada’s largest hospice west of Montreal, caring for up to 26 residents at any given time. These residents are supported by a team of more than 90 employees and, as of April 2024, 53 volunteers, who do everything from delivering meals to gardening and providing entertainment.

“We've had weddings and other special events here, and this is part of what the volunteer program does,” Theresa says.

“We even had one resident who requested that the lion dance performers from the Chinese Cultural Centre come in, and we made that happen. I co-ordinated that, and we had 40 dancers in full regalia performing in the hospice. That’s just one example of the many end-of-life goals we’ve made happen.”

Dulcina’s volunteers come from all walks of life, says Theresa. Many are retired professionals seeking new activities, but many are also younger, with some in their teens looking for volunteer experience. The volunteers all share a desire to have a very rich, involved volunteer experience in which relationships are built, and they are an integral part of an interdisciplinary team that includes physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains and others.

Theresa adds that while she is always looking for new volunteers, she never has trouble finding them and her volunteers tend to stay for a long time.

“I have some volunteers who have been with me for 15 years,” she says. “A lot of the time, I have family members of former residents who come back to volunteer when the time is right. I do some recruiting, but mostly it’s through word of mouth.” 

“People find this work extremely rewarding. It fills you up just as much as you give to others. It’s not like a lot of volunteer roles where you just come in and do a shift. Our people feel a tremendous sense of belonging and community and are deeply fulfilled by the work.”

One of Theresa’s most active volunteers is Marie Carlson. A retired former health policy specialist with Alberta Health Services with a background in medical sociology, Marie, like Theresa, had her own brush with end of life — her brother died of colon cancer at age 31. This experience led her to do a deep dive into death and dying and to pursue coursework in theology in addition to her sociology degree, a background that she credits with leading her to eventually work as a hospice volunteer.

“I’ve long wanted to do this kind of work,” says Marie.

“When the opportunity in life arose, I phoned around, and I researched a number of hospice facilities in the Calgary area. I ended up having a long chat with Theresa, and she so impressed me with her knowledge and compassion, in addition to her description of the volunteer program and the options that it provided as well as the support.” 

Among Marie’s contributions to Dulcina has been a hospice newsletter, the second edition of which was recently distributed. She has also taken the lead on resident art projects together with making regular resident visits. She particularly enjoys doing “happy hour” rounds with the hospice bar cart, a high point in the day for many residents.

Volunteers Marie Carlson, right, and Michelle Ikeda, left, visit residents with the hospice bar cart.

It’s the relationships with residents as well as fellow volunteers and staff members that make the role so fulfilling, and the atmosphere is a far cry from what most people imagine a hospice environment to be, says Marie. 

“The biggest surprise for me coming into hospice was the amount of laughter and joy I was met with,” she says.

“I know that sounds pretty weird to many. When I tell people where I volunteer, I hear them say, ‘Gee, that must be a really depressing place to work. How could you go in there?’ But the amount of laughter that we have with our residents and families is unbelievable. Not every day is like that, but overall, it’s been a beautiful experience. And Theresa and the rest of the staff as well as the other volunteers have been super supportive.”

Theresa, for her part, acknowledges the value that her volunteers bring to Dulcina.

“The gift of time and the dedication and commitment that these people bring — no words of gratitude could fully sum it up. It's just a joy to be around our volunteers when they're here, and there’s no end to which they enhance our family and resident experience and support our staff. Everything changes when a volunteer walks in the door.”

If you’re in the Calgary area and interested in volunteering in a hospice setting, Dulcina Hospice is always looking for help. Contact Theresa by phone at 587.230.5500 or via email at Theresa.Bellows@covenantcare.ca for more information about current volunteering needs and opportunities.