As a registered nurse for more than 40 years, Reenie Scott was passionate about her career, about caring for people.
She still cares for people today by helping to raise important funds for the Kelowna Gospel Mission.
She volunteers as a cashier at their Thrift Store in Rutland and commits to be there every Tuesday.
Reenie has also volunteered at the Gospel Mission shelter with their banquets, and recently she has been helping out at the vaccine clinic at Trinity Church.
When COVID first started, Reenie had to step back from her volunteering roles so that she could continue to visit her mother, but now that she is COVID vaccinated, she is happily back at the store helping out again.
“I truly enjoy my day with the customers and with the staff. I have met some wonderful people,” said Reenie. “I enjoy the people contact and it pleases me when patients that I used to care for come into the thrift store and we recognize each other!”
Reenie was raised on a farm near the small town of Davidson, Sask., and spent her younger years living in many different places, including Tuktoyuktuk in the Northwest Territories. “Tuk” as it is commonly referred to, is a community of about 900 people at the top of the Northwest Territories, where it juts in to the Arctic Ocean.
Tuktoyuktuk takes its name from the Inuvialuktun word, meaning “resembling a caribou.” As local legend tells the story, many years ago, a herd of caribou wandered into the ocean waters and turned to stone. Today at low tide, you may be able to see reefs that resemble petrified caribou from the shore.
In 2009, Reenie moved to Lake Country and began to volunteer.
She has been amazed by how many people put in the long hours to make a difference in their community.
“For me, I find volunteering uplifting,” she said happily.
If you are interested in finding an ‘uplifting’ activity that meets your impact goals, check out the VolunteerConnector at www.kcr.ca/volunteer for your perfect volunteer opportunity. Or contact us at 250-763-8008, local l41.
Dorothee Birker is the communications and development coordinator for KCR Community Resources, a multi-service agency offering programs and services to meet community, family and individual needs.