THE newest chapter in Joanne Brook's life story is already more than a week overdue.
The due date was April 3, and now "We're waiting very anxiously for the birth of the first great-grandchild."
In the meantime, she has plenty to keep her busy. Brook, who has one daughter and two grandsons, is a volunteer at Parkgate Community Centre. She has logged more than 5,000 hours of volunteer time, and was recently named a recipient of a Volunteer Community Spirit Award by Volunteer North Shore.
"It's a pretty wonderful feeling to get an award of any kind," she says.
Brook has been volunteering since she started with a seniors group about 11 years ago.
"That's just about the time I took early retirement and looked around for something that I could feel useful doing," she explains.
Before she retired, Brook was an administrative assistant at CIBC, and has put her organizational skills to good use.
She organizes a regular craft group of about 25 volunteers, who meet each week to make items for craft sales to raise money for the seniors centre.
"Some just come to talk and some come to work. It's an interesting group," says Brook, who notes the fundraising has evolved from nickels and dimes to hundreds of dollars.
Although the seniors' programs are subsidized by the centre's funds, Brook says of the effort: "This is our way of trying to help pay our way."
She says they often take donations of yarn and other materials for sewing, quilting and knitting, particularly when someone has passed away and their family wants to donate their kit. If they can't use the materials, they will find someone who can.
Brook also coordinates seniors bridge Monday nights, and two nights a week she is part of a four-person volunteer staff who prepare lunches for a seniors lunch program. That's not all. In addition to her work at the centre, Brook also volunteers on the finance committee at her co-op in Deep Cove, has been board president "three or four terms," and is also the chairwoman of the landscaping committee.
"That's about all I can find the time for," she says.
When asked what she likes most about volunteering, Brook replies quickly: "The people," adding: "seeing what they don't think they can do that will be worthwhile, and trying to make them see that this is worthwhile, what they're doing, and what they're doing is sellable."
She is similarly quick to respond to a question about what she gets out of all the volunteer work she puts in: "A lot of nice friends," and says there are plenty of volunteer opportunities for those who want to contribute.
Brook encourages those considering volunteer work.
"I think there's a volunteer job for anyone with any ability. There's something they can do to help."
