COCHRANE— Looking to grow their volunteer base, Wayfinders Wellness Retreat is hoping to complete the final push on several projects with the help of community supporters.
Volunteer coordinator Lora Weir said the summer season is a time when they can get a lot done at the ranch, and they are hoping to see all hands-on deck so they can complete as many ongoing projects as possible.
“Volunteers are the foundation of any non-profit,” Weir said. “We need the volunteers."
Wayfinders is looking to find a mix of volunteers with different schedules and skills with a willingness to learn, while developing more partnerships with the Cochrane community.
Wayfinders Wellness Retreat is centred on providing peer-to-peer support and resources for help with mental health and healing from Post-Traumatic Stress Injuries. Weir said volunteers do not need to have a first responder background or specific skills to become a Wayfinder.
They currently need help applying for grants, legal guidance, monetary support, skilled workers, fundraising and event organizing.
Volunteers not only break down walls at the ranch, she said, but are also working to help remove emotional barriers for those experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Injuries.
It takes time and hard work to create a culture that embraces practicing vulnerability and fostering positive mental health, Weir said. She explained together volunteers can help act out these behaviours while they restore the retreat located at the historic WineGlass Ranch.
Volunteer Donnie Hall joined the Wayfinders team in May 2020, he became involved out of concern for the Post-Traumatic Stress Injuries first responders face.
“What these guys do on a day-to-day basis puts their lives at risk, and to not come home or to have to be a child and not have your parent come home because they were out there devoting their life to everybody else really struck me,” Hall said. “My mission in everything I do is to make sure moms and dads come home to their kids.”
Hall is an emotional intelligence and coach and consultant and has seen firsthand the dangers of a mental health crisis.
It can be a powerful and rewarding experience connecting with first responders as a volunteer, Hall said, but it can be scary at times to see the effect Post-Traumatic Stress Injuries have on their mental wellness.
Safe spaces like Wayfinders are needed, he said, because it remains uncommon to see first responders' express emotions because of the shame they may face.
A stigma remains attached to Post-Traumatic Stress Injuries for veterans and first responders because it can be viewed as a weakness. This makes connections with civilians invaluable, he said, because it helps build feelings of normalcy.
“When people come out here and engage with first responders and see they're humans with wives, husbands, kids and lives outside of fighting fires, picking people up and putting them on gurneys and putting people in the back of police cars— They are genuine human beings and they need to be seen as human beings,” Hall said. “We need to engage with them on a level that isn’t with a line between us— This is an opportunity.”
Bridging those gaps helps people better understand Post-Traumatic Stress Injuries and the effect trauma has on everyone's lives, he said.
Volunteer and board member Chelsea McPherson connected to Wayfinders through her volunteer work with Sheepdog Lodge. She first connected with the retreat during the Alone Together event in May 2020 and has been hard at work volunteering ever since.
Wayfinders has grown a rich community of volunteers since the initial Alone Together event, and it is always exciting to see more people join the team.
“I could see the vision right away and it was something very meaningful to me, especially being a first responder— It struck close to home," McPherson said.
It has been a great experience working with Wayfinders, she said, and her partner RCMP officer Stefan Ciccone has also begun volunteering.
McPherson has been a first responder for seven years and in 2015 she became a backcountry 911 dispatcher for Kananaskis Emergency Services, a job she holds to this day.
She has seen firsthand the mental health issues they face.
“In the first responder community there has been a huge hole when it comes to support and resources,” McPherson said, explaining why many first responders choose to volunteer with the retreat.
Being around people, especially those who are not first responders, is invaluable and provides a feeling of normalcy to all who volunteer.
“Nobody ever has to hide they are having a bad day here,” McPherson said. “It’s incredible the connections that have been made, especially during COVID … It’s hard to meet people and be around people and I think that was tough on a lot of people’s mental health. Having something bright and something hopeful here to come here has been amazing.”
There are no typical weeks as a volunteer with Wayfinders, McPherson said, and her time spent volunteering can be anywhere from five to 40 hours a week.
Volunteer Erica Koster connected to Wayfinders through Prairie Sky Equine Assisted Therapy. She began volunteering with the non-profit in June 2020.
She came out with a few friends and her husband for a volunteer day where they were able to help clean up the yard of the retreat. Koster enjoys the physical labour she has been able to engage in and the skills she has learned as a volunteer.
“I did not know how to sand floors before this … I can restore old houses now,” Koster said with a laugh.
Koster has a background in mental health and appreciates the holistic approach the retreat is taking to healing Post-Traumatic Stress Injuries.
“To be here with this group of people who are so motivated to get it done in this beautiful place has kept me here,” Koster said. “It’s amazing.”
Her father is a former RCMP and she appreciates knowing resources are being developed for first responders who have experienced trauma.
Koster said as a volunteer the skills people are bringing to the table are treated as gifts at Wayfinders.
“Whatever you’re bringing to the table, you can share that with other people and they will help you show that off,” Koster said.
To register as a volunteer visit wayfinderswellness.ca/volunteers to fill out an application form.
