{"id":54190,"date":"2018-08-23T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-08-23T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntsville.dopperonline.ca\/?p=54190"},"modified":"2018-08-22T17:26:35","modified_gmt":"2018-08-22T21:26:35","slug":"work-of-heart-meet-irene-parker-and-david-james-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/work-of-heart-meet-irene-parker-and-david-james-too\/","title":{"rendered":"Work of heart: Meet Irene Parker (and David James, too)"},"content":{"rendered":"

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Gandhi<\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n

The Huntsville Hospital Auxiliary’s volunteers go above and beyond for others, making people feel comfortable with their hospital experience. One of them, Irene Parker, is indeed extraordinary. Her dedication to the auxiliary was sparked by her own mother’s love for the organization and that rubbed off on Irene in a good way. The bubbly 75-year-old always has a smile on her face and never leaves her sense of humour at home when she’s putting in her time at her favourite place, Branches, better known as the hospital gift shop.<\/p>\n

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Irene Parker is a social butterfly.<\/p>\n

She’s got a way with people and it’s probably just because she genuinely enjoys the experience of meeting new people. She’s also got a great sense of humour and a smile that is reflective of her sunny disposition.<\/p>\n

At 75, she says she’d go crazy if she was all cooped up. And it’s those reasons, combined with a desire to want to give a little something back, that’s made Irene one of Huntsville Hospital Auxiliary’s most valuable volunteers. Almost 20 years in and she’s not ready to go anywhere any time soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother joined the auxiliary first so that’s how I got into it. She would always talk about how much she loved it and that’s the reason I decided to join. And I’ve been enjoying it ever since. At one time, we were the only mother and daughter involved in the auxiliary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her mother has since passed away but Irene remains a dedicated auxiliary member. She first started out as the recording secretary where she recalls recording the meeting minutes on an electric typewriter and then she got a couple years as president under her belt.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou learn a lot,\u201d she says. \u201cYou get to know people.\u201d<\/p>\n

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If you’ve visited Huntsville Hospital’s gift shop, you’ve probably seen the lovely Irene Parker behind the counter. She says the auxiliary strives to keep prices relatively low. Also, sales on food items have increased ever since the hospital cafeteria closed.<\/p><\/div>\n

Flash forward another decade and Irene is the convenor of many things. Most days, she can be found in the hospital gift shop, Branches, which is her favourite place to be as well as the auxiliary’s biggest source of fundraising. Her love for people and dealing with the public makes her the perfect volunteer for that job.<\/p>\n

Irene also lends a hand to helping organize the auxiliary’s annual tag day, Christmas luncheon and the always-successful Cookie Delight. (One year, the auxiliary put the Cookie Delight on hold and people got quite upset. The public outcry was enough to make the auxiliary put it back on the list.) This year, Huntsville hosts the annual Autumn House Tour<\/a><\/span>\u2014it rotates between being held in Bracebridge and Huntsville\u2014and that is always a hit among the public.<\/p>\n

“Every year we give money from the gift shop to the auxiliary,” says Irene. “Last December we were able to give $30,000 and the year before that it was $25,000. This year we’re hoping for $35,000. It all goes back to patient care. The hospital lets us know what they need and we try to fill those areas. Since the auxiliary started in 1955 it has given the hospital over $1 million. That’s pretty good money.”<\/p>\n\n\t\t