Nearly 4,000 people show up across Fraser Health's hospitals, long-term care homes, and community programs every day — not because they're paid to, but because they want to. Last year, those volunteers collectively contributed more than 322,000 hours of service across 20 locations. National Volunteer Week, which runs this week, is a good moment to pay attention to what that actually looks like.

Maria Carinha is 82 years old and has been volunteering at Burnaby Hospital for 12 years, logging more than 3,400 hours in that time. She started after her husband passed away there, wanting to give something back to the place that cared for him.

Her official role is helping people find their way around the hospital, but she describes it more simply than that.

"Here, I talk, I laugh, I joke, I help people — that's what I do," she says. "Here, I feel alive. I get a lot when I give."

Gurjot Sunner came to volunteering from a different direction. In just nine months at Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre in Surrey, she's already logged more than 115 hours and taken on a mentorship role with newer volunteers. She often supports newcomers navigating an unfamiliar health care system, sometimes across language barriers.

"Every shift reminds me that any positive action can help uplift others in ways we don't realize," she says.

For Gurjot, the experience has also clarified her future. "Because of all the volunteering, I can see myself being part of the health care space and finding a career in health care," she says.

Fraser Health is currently looking for volunteers across its locations.