More volunteer drivers needed in North Bay, cancer society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says it is short on volunteer drivers in the North Bay area.
Volunteer drivers are apart of the Wheels of Hope program and drive cancer patients to their appointments and home.
“If we have five to 10 people out there that like to drive and have a half a day or a few days a month, please consider volunteering with us,” said Mark Kahan, a volunteer coordinator with the cancer society.
“It really is an awesome volunteer experience, the magic really happens in the drive there’s and home. The kindness, the conversations, the compassion.”
Kahan said typically volunteer drivers are for getting patients to Health Sciences North (HSN) in Greater Sudbury and then driving them back home to North Bay.
“It can be a huge burden to a family, sometimes people in radiation have to go every day up to six weeks, Monday to Friday. So it can be a huge burden to have to take that much time off of work,” he said.
“That’s where the Wheels of Hope comes in and we have those volunteers that we urgently need.”
- Want more North Bay news? Visit CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca's North Bay news page
- Download the CTV News app now and get local alerts on your device
- Get local breaking news and updates sent to your email inbox
Calvin Cozac has been volunteering in North Bay with Wheels of Hope for 10 years.
“It is very rewarding. To a person, they are very, very appreciative of the service. Some of them would have a very difficult time getting to treatment without it so they’re very appreciative,” said Cozac.
“We meet a lot of interesting people, nice people, so it is very rewarding.”
Those with the Canadian Cancer Society told CTV News they are actively looking for new volunteers.
A non-smoking vehicle, a clean driving record with three demerit points or less and Covid-19 vaccinations are required to be a volunteer driver.
For more information on becoming a volunteer visit the Canadian Cancer Society’s volunteer page or email: volunteer@cancer.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.