Corner Brook -
Barbara Jones, like many of the Victorian Order of Nurses' volunteers, got involved in the organization by chance.
A chance meeting 22 years ago and an almost off-hand commitment to see what it was all about landed Jones a volunteer position with the charity.
Jones was transferred to Ottawa when she met someone from the VON's head office.
"It was all by accident, just like most of us," Jones said. "I was in the group insurance business. I happened to meet at a function a woman called Ann Heiser who was the director of VON Ottawa head office. She was in charge of pension and benefits at the time. She said 'come and join us,' so I did.
"She put me on the pension and benefits committee because that was my area of expertise. That was 22 years ago."
Now Jones is a a member of VON Canada Foundation's board and chair of the fundraising committee for the board of the Hastings-Northumberland-Prince Edward branch
Jones is one of 150 delegates attending the VON's national conference and annual general meeting in Corner Brook. The event began Wednesday and continues through Saturday.
Among the reasons Jones has stayed with the organization is her admiration of the skill of the nurses on the front-lines.
"VON is first and foremost a charity and we count on the donations of people who can give, big or small, within the communities we serve," she said. "It is the reason for being for us.
"We fill unmet health care needs. Flu clinics are a good example. The contracts we fulfill, by and large, they're government contracts for things like home care, the money we make from that - profit if you will - go into our charitable programs."
VON across Canada has more than 4,000 staff and 400,000 volunteers and between 18,000 and 20,000 clients on a regular basis at 52 sites.
Jones said charitable programs vary from place to place because the needs change.
The VON community across the country is very sharing and Jones feels comfortable speaking plainly about her community's needs. That gets her ideas and solutions from her counterparts across the country and is one of the benefits of attending the sessions at the conference.
The sessions also reaffirm what they're doing is the right thing to do, she said.
The social aspect of the conference is under rated, however.
"You learn so much more sitting down to a meal or having a drink," she said. "That's what life's all about, isn't it.
"Coming here, on the fun quotient scale, it's way up there."
