It wasn’t until recently when I realized the importance of having volunteer drivers (AKA Canada’s Road Heroes) who help support families, singles, or anyone in need of support to help ease their lives. Currently, my grandpa requires 100% of my mother’s attention and care as he pushes 90. He’s no longer able to cook his own meals and still lives independently until a nursing home comes available. In the meantime, he receives Meals on Wheels, which has not only gave my mother relief but Grandpa a new smiling face and support of a different kind. Last week during a hospital stay, a volunteer brought a ukulele into his room and sang him a song. The simplest of things gave him much love and appreciation in humanity. His smile from that random act of kindness melted my heart and filled my eyes with tears; all thanks to volunteers! 

Canada’s Road Heroes

This Canada Day Kal Tire honors Canada’s Road Heroes in a contest recognizes volunteers who drive to help Canadians in need. Together, the contest entrants drove 566,000 kilometers last year to help support Canadians. It could be the single mom who needs a ride to radiation treatment, seniors awaiting a warm, healthy meal, or youth with abilities participating in social activities. I believe wholeheartedly in kindness, and I take much pleasure in helping Kal Tires recognize Canada’s Road Heroes. 

Many of the contest nominees are seniors themselves, and they have collectively logged a distance equivalent to driving from Vancouver to Halifax and back 46 times. 

Yes, you read that right. 

Congratulations go out to Canada’s Road Heroes & the abundance of kindness exploding from their hearts. 

Introducing Kal Tire’s Top Three Canadian Road Heroes… 

(Drum roll. please!)

Meet Canada’s Road Hero – Randy

Randy Scharf logs close to 270 km each week between Richmond’s Meals on Wheels kitchen to the streets of Vancouver’s Eastside. Giving seniors a warm, healthy meal to nourish their body.

“You do see some tough things in that area but I’ve found they’re very nice people and they care a lot about their community. Helping to make sure people have food to eat is something that’s always been important to me.”

“Each of these drivers was so deserving and incredibly humble. They were most thrilled that their organization would receive a donation and that speaks to their selflessness and sense of community,” says McCarty. “We’re very fortunate in Canada to have volunteers like these among us, and we hope this contest encourages others to make a difference as a volunteer driver.”

Meet Canada’s Road Hero – Diane

Diane Thompson, a 78-year-old Dunsford, ON resident, has been a volunteer driver for 30 years. Diane lives in my own backyard and a very active member of the City of Kawartha Lakes. Last year she logged 17,500 km for Community Care Health & Care Network, a Lindsay-based organization that arranges transportation for people in need. For many years, she drove local cancer patients to treatment in Ontario, overcoming busy rush-hour traffic on the 401 and long days to serve her community. Thompson initially became a volunteer driver because she was a foster parent and looked forward to adult conversation and a break from the house, but quickly saw how rewarding and meaningful her volunteer driving could be. She currently drives a young woman with Down syndrome to her local day program.

“After this contest, I looked up volunteering and volunteering is me. Yes, it does relieve stress. Yes, it does help your inner self to know you’ve done something good for someone, and I didn’t ever want to give up that feeling.

Meet Canada’s Road Hero – Trevor

When Trevor West from Edmonton takes a look back on his five years of driving cancer patients to appointments, he hears the sounds of a Newfoundland man singing. He sings all the way to his hotel, opening his vehicle door to a woman he remembered from childhood, and the words of a patient he’d driven for 18 months saying, ‘I am going to hospice tomorrow.’ A cancer survivor himself West became a volunteer driver with Wheels of Hope five years ago following his own battle with myeloid sarcoma cancer with a poor survival success rate. He’s inspired to continue driving by the letters he receives from patients’ families.

“We live for the word hope. That’s all we have. There’s so much cancer out there, so many people who are hurting. There’s got to be help somewhere. If we can help them get through one day, if I can make them laugh for 20 minutes, that’s good.”

Kal Tire’s Top Three Canadian’s Road Heroes stories are featured in this fun video alongside Canada’s social media superstar Brittlestar.

 

Congratulations to Kal Tire’s Five Runners Up…

Meet Canada’s Road Hero – Joe

Not long after retiring from his 35-year career as a police officer, Milton, ON, resident Joe Hall recalled being a boy and seeing a family friend drive cancer patients to Toronto in the ‘60’s, and set out to do the same. Since 2012, Hall has logged nearly 30,000 km every year driving cancer patients to hospitals in Hamilton and the GTA. Driving for Canadian Cancer Society’s Wheels of Hope Joe drives four days a week, often through rush hour traffic, selflessly lending long days but also a compassionate ear.

“I was driving two ladies back from Princess Margaret (hospital) this afternoon. One was an elderly lady on a three-month follow-up. She got in the car and she said, ‘Joe, I’ve got good news. They tell me I’m cancer-free.’ And she gave me a high-five. I don’t need too many of those to keep me going.”

Meet Canada’s Road Hero – Peter

When Peter Simpson’s mother was diagnosed with cancer, he saw how important it was to her to be able to count on him to drive her to treatment and appointments in the year before she died. When his career as a commercial vehicle driver of 37 years was cut short after losing his leg in a motorcycle accident, Peter sought another way to get behind the steering wheel and spend his time helping others. He began driving for the Volunteer Cancer Drivers Society (VCDS) in Surrey in 2017 and has donated back to the society every fuel subsidy payment he’s received.

“Everybody that I drive is so appreciative. You can only depend on the family so much, and some don’t even have a family. They’re just happy to have somebody in their corner to help them out.”

Meet Canada’s Road Hero – Barbara

When Barbara Gray was first diagnosed with breast cancer, she didn’t know about patient driving programs, and following her partial mastectomy, she daily trekked from southeast Calgary to the Tom Baker Cancer Centre for 35 days of radiation until friends offered to drive her. Two years later, in 1997, Barbara felt well and became a volunteer driver for the she took a short break from driving. Today, as her eightieth birthday nears, she still drives other patients to their appointments every Friday.

“I know how important it is to them to have a good driver they can count on. Because I’ve experienced it myself, I can hear and listen and give them some hope for themselves. They appreciate being able to talk to someone who can understand.” 

Meet Canada’s Road Hero – George

After seeing a CNIB advertisement calling for volunteer drivers, Kingston resident George Spence set out to put his spare time and vehicle to good use—for the second time. George was a volunteer driver for the CNIB as a young adult 30 years ago, and wanted to return to the role now that his children were grown and he had more free time. He drives CNIB staff to the homes of those who are newly visually impaired to support them in safely navigating their own homes. He also drives members of the local CNIB youth group to activities such as sailing, and logged 9,800 km last year as a volunteer driver.

“It’s very rewarding. I do enjoy it and probably more than anything it makes me appreciate how well off sighted people are. I see the struggles people who are visually impaired go through, and yet they’re so optimistic.”

Meet Canada’s Road Hero – Wendy

Like many of the contest volunteers, Wendy Ireland rather talk about the important work the Volunteer Cancer Drivers Society (VCDS) rather than her place in it. But hers is an important role. Since Surrey-based VCDS was founded three-and-a-half years ago to help ensure Lower Mainland cancer patients receive critical transportation support, Ireland has become both driver and dispatcher. Wendy drives patients three or four days per week (she is consistently a top five mileage volunteer among the society’s 200 drivers), and she also coordinates up to 50 rides shared among volunteers.

“The average person will have to through 25 to 30 treatments and they can’t miss a day—it’s very important—but families just can’t do it all and that’s where we step up. It’s a really rewarding way to give back and the patients are so appreciative.” 

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My heart is full from reading the stories from Canada’s Road Heroes. They say happiness comes from finding your passion, why you are here on Earth, it’s clear to me that Canada’s Road Heroes have listened to the universe and have found their very own happiness. On behalf of Canada, thank you, for being the light in someone’s dark corner, the star in the dark sky and the smile to light the room.

Give A Virtual High-Five (Contest)

Contest Disclaimer: By entering this contest, you are accepting that if you win, your contact information will be shared with Kal Tire. If your name is chosen and you do not reply and answer the skill-testing question to confirm your win within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. All winners must be from within Canada (excluding Quebec) contest ends July 26th, 2019. Facebook does not sponsor this contest.

For more information, visit www.KalTire.com.

Thank you for reading Canadian Blogger Tammy from In R Dream! 

Thank you, Kal Tires for spreading joy across Canada and for sponsoring this giveaway. As always, these are our opinions and this, and all reviews are written with love from our heart.