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20 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday April 18, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Helping hands serve up independence By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF He worked at Procor, she worked in the cafeteria of White Oaks Secondary School and upon retiring -- they went to work as volunteers delivering Meals on Wheels. "You've got to do something with your time, " said Joan Speers, 75. Her partner on the road is her husband of many years, Gord, also 75. For nearly a decade the pair, who make their home in north-central Oakville, has been on the road Wednesday mornings delivering food to seniors through the Meals on Wheels program operated by the Oakville Kiwanis Club. The Speers are exactly the type of people being celebrated this week during National Volunteer Week (April 15 to 21). National Volunteer Week was proclaimed in 1943 in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver to draw public attention to the contribution women made to the war effort on the home front. In the 1960s, a designated week to honour volunteers was revived. That was shortly after the Speers moved to Oakville where they've lived almost as long as 88-year-old Phyllis Williamson to whom they deliver frozen meals every Wednesday. Despite being widowed 23 years ago, Williamson still lives in her own home. She has indoor and outdoor walkers and gets around her yard with a scooter that was a birthday gift. Williamson said she can't drive anymore, so it's tough to get out to shop. She does do so with a neighbour and her son who lives in Bronte and is 60 himself. "He's the baby," said Williamson of her three, senior, children. Bronte and northwest Oakville are where the Speers deliver meals. The Oakville Kiwanis Meals on Wheels program offers daily, hot meals, or weekly, frozen meals to those with difficulty whipping up lunch or dinner for themselves. Joan said though their route sometimes changes, you get to know the clients. Each week, they not only have a visit with the workers in the Kiwanis office on Lyons Lane where they pick up meals to be delivered, but also stop for a brief chat with Williamson and another couple. That couple once asked Gord to help out with the fuse box. "Now I'm the great electrician," laughed Gord. Frozen meals appeal to Williamson who said it allows her to choose what she wants and when. There is a menu available to clients, who pay a small fee for the service, and a variety of meals to suit numerous diets, from diabetic, bland LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER WEEKLY VISIT: Phyllis Williamson receives a week's worth of meals and a visit from Joan and Gord Speers who volunteer with the Oakville Kiwanis Meals on Wheels program. and cardiac to minced and lactoseintolerant. The Oakville Kiwanis dub their Meals on Wheels program as "nourishing independence." While Joan belongs to a local seniors' centre herself and Gord to another local club, Joan said the couple volunteers because they like it. "We enjoy doing it. It's very rewarding when you have a nice lady like Phyllis to deliver to," said Joan. "At our age, you know how it can be. You go through it with your own parents and then before you know it, you're there yourself," said Joan. Joan's kindness is evident in her manner, as is her husband's sense of humour -- and Williamson's quick wit and mischievous nature make visiting her a pleasure. "We'll keep doing it as long as we can," said Joan, and Williamson said she'll remain in her own home for as long as she can. In 1976, Oakville Kiwanis operated Meals on Wheels in a town of just over 61,000 people and delivered 5,500 hot meals to clients that were rarely over 90. It had 43 volunteers. As of last year, 30 years later, the population was 150,000 and 31,500 meals were delivered, 31 clients were over 90 and Kiwanis had 102 volunteers in the program. The National Volunteer Week theme for 2007 is Volunteers Grow Community. Youth volunteering is on the increase and volunteering is now accepted as work experience. In Halton, based on the 2001 census, the population of 375,229 included 298,235 volunteers over age 15. For more information contact Volunteer Halton at 905-878-0955 or visit www.volunteerhalton.ca. PREVIEW OFFER WALKING To our volunteers, THANK YOU. SHOES * with purchase of custom orthotics VALUE $150 Many Styles to Choose From! National Volunteer Week April 16 - 20, 2007 Foot Pain? Ankle Pain? Knee Pain? Back Pain? Full Service Medical Foot Clinic Call to book Appointment 905-582-0832 114 Lakeshore Road W. (Lakeshore Rd and Kerr St.) United Way of Oakville 466 Speers Road, Suite 200 Oakville ON L6K 3W9 t: (905) 845-5571 www.uwoakville.org