Not everyone attending the Adult Day Services program at The Salvation Army Winterberry Heights Church in Stoney Creek, Ont., is a participant—one volunteer is seizing the moment to grow personally and professionally while making a difference in people’s lives.

Opened in 2006, the program provides meaningful activities for older adults, helping them maintain independence while reinforcing their sense of purpose, well-being and self-worth. It also offers much-needed respite for caregivers, giving them time to rest and reduce stress while providing access to additional community resources.

Unimagined Gift

Alyssa began volunteering in late 2023, supporting Adult Day Services participants one or two days a week. She helps set and clear the tables, serves meals at lunch and washes dishes.

“For Alyssa to come to a program like this and have a purpose, to be comfortable interacting with people who have special needs due to age or dementia—she’s in her element,” says her stepfather, Allen. “She’s able to contribute, and that means a lot to her.”

Her volunteering journey started through a chance encounter at a Salvation Army Christmas kettle. While out shopping, Allen donated at a kettle and struck up a conversation with the Adult Day Services employee who was staffing it.

“She said, ‘Would she be interested in being a volunteer for us?’ ” Allen remembers. “That was the gift I just couldn’t have imagined because getting opportunities for people with disabilities is hard, and this was something I wanted to pursue for Alyssa.”

Positive Change

Inspired by her experience at Adult Day Services, Alyssa also volunteered alongside Allen during the 2024 Christmas kettle campaign season, showing no fear in greeting everyone equally, saying Merry Christmas and reminding them to be safe.

Allen adds that volunteering with The Salvation Army has made his stepdaughter more confident in her abilities, increasingly independent and aware of the valuable skills she possesses.

“Alyssa has been able to have these experiences in a gentle way,” Allen says. “In the time that she’s been in the program, she’s grown, and it’s allowed her to step up to the next level that she’s capable of.”

The skills Alyssa has gained with The Salvation Army will be invaluable as she works toward her future goals.

Beyond volunteering, Alyssa says she has a deep love for books and dreams of working at a library or bookstore. She enjoys spending time with children and would love the chance to work at a daycare centre. In addition to her passion for music, Alyssa is skilled with technology and actively engages with social media.

Allen highly recommends Adult Day Services as a meaningful volunteer opportunity, given the positive changes he has seen in his stepdaughter’s life.

“It’s been a huge confidence builder, and she’s able to just be herself,” Allen says. “I couldn’t have hoped for better.”

Chris McGregor is the national communications and engagement specialist at The Salvation Army Thrift Store, National Recycling Operations.

Photo: Chris McGregor

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