"Nobody - nobody - should die alone."
This is Thea Juett's personal philosophy and the impetus behind her work with the Burnaby Hospice Society.
"We are there from the time they are diagnosed," she said. "We have volunteers to live in the home, we visit in the hospitals, we do vigils and sit with people as they take their last breath."
Juett, one of the founders of the society, began her volunteer work with people at the end of their lives in England when she was 12.
Her school required that students volunteer, and Juett chose to volunteer at her local hospital.
She ended up working in the ward for the terminally ill.
"I used to read to them and bring them tea," she said. "That's really how I started."
Juett moved to Ontario in 1965 and came to Burnaby in 1967. She worked for home support services as a supervisor.
"I had clients who had nobody and died at home," she said.
It was one such client that led to the founding of the hospice society, she added.
"I got called out one Christmas evening, and I sat with the worker until the doctor came and pronounced this gentleman, who had died all alone on Christmas Day," Juett said. "I went back to my office after Christmas and said, 'We've got to do something about this.'"
A group of six of the employees decided to start a hospice, she said, and held a meeting at the McGill library branch to see if there was community support. About 75 people showed up.
The society started off without money, an office or staff, according to Juett. It has since grown to have one full-time employee - paid for with funds from Fraser Health - and three part-time employees.
The society has fundraisers to keep the hospice running, and also makes money from its thrift store, which opened six years ago, she said. She now volunteers at the thrift store.
"I'm so proud to be part of this," she said of the society. "We have such a wonderful group of volunteers."
Juett is one of eight Local Hero Award winners chosen this year by the city's social issues committee.
She was surprised to find out she won, when told about it by the NOW.
"Isn't that great?" she said. "I didn't even know I was up for this."
The winners are to receive their certificates of recognition at the Nov. 5 council meeting. A reception is being held beforehand.
The other seven local heroes were nominated for volunteer work with community policing units, Burnaby General Hospital's healthy heart program, and the city's citizen services program, among other programs, according to a report from the committee.
Karen Corcoran has volunteered with the Hastings Brentwood Community Police office and helped initiate the Business Watch program in North Burnaby.
Maria Motta volunteers with South Burnaby Neighbourhood House and the Healthy Heart Program at Burnaby General Hospital.
Vivian Pinter volunteers with the Burnaby North Girl Guides, the parent advisory council of Capitol Hill Elementary School and her local Block Watch chapter.
Michael Raynor volunteers with the Community Centred College for the Retired, and has served in different roles during his 13 years with the college. He also volunteers in the community, restoring electronic equipment, working at food banks, and making comfort kits for the homeless, according to the report.
Marilena Soligo, also known as Marilyn, is also a long-time volunteer with the college and works with the mission society at St. Helen's Parish.
Linda Saunders has volunteered with the Wildlife Rescue Association of B.C. for more than a decade.
Tanaya Shaw is a volunteer with the Baby Cuddle program through the city's citizen support services department.
Coun. Paul McDonell, chair of the social issues committee, said the process of choosing the local heroes is usually simple.
"We go through them all, and they have to meet the set criteria," he said in a phone interview Monday.
Award winners have to be a resident of the city for a number of years, and the type of community work they do is assessed, he added.
"We look at the work they do in the community, whether it's something they're employed to do," McDonell said. "Sometimes there's people that work for different organizations and stuff, and they get paid. We're looking primarily for people who are volunteering in the community, for their community involvement."
The city has limited the amount of winners to 12 per year, McDonell said, to ensure the award has meaning and is given to the most deserving people. Those who do not win can be nominated again the next year, he added.
