It’s Volunteer Appreciation Day on myFM, a day where we pay tribute to five individuals who so freely give of their time and resources to make St. Thomas and Elgin a better place to live.
While well known for representing the riding of Elgin-Middlesex-London for a decade at Queen’s Park, Jeff Yurek has been a tireless supporter of the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Foundation and its fundraising efforts.
On Oct. 28, 2021, Yurek and hospital President and CEO, Karen Davies stood outside the facility to announce what he referenced as a game-changer for the community. The province had approved funding for a long-awaited MRI.
Now in operation, the unit – costing approximately $2.5 million – ensures residents of St. Thomas and Elgin no longer have to travel to hospitals in London or Woodstock for diagnostic imaging.
Yurek recalled, “It was an exciting time. I was leading a team. I mean, it’s not one person does anything in this community. It’s a team of volunteers that make things happen. And, you know, with people like Susan O’Brien, she was part of the community, part of the team. We accomplished so much in so short a time. The MRI was something the community wanted, and they really showed their support by reaching their (fundraising) goal within a year.”
He continued, “We not only have a new MRI there, we have a whole new suite of ultrasound and X-ray. They’re redoing the entire radiography process. Their roles in the hospital. It’s all in one local area. It makes it easier for the doctors and nurses and staff to treat their patients in one central area.
“With the MRI being added, there’s 5,000 people who don’t have to leave the community now to get the MRI they need. And as more funding comes from the government, they can expand the hours of service. So this is just going to be a tremendous boost to our community.”
Yurek also found time to join the team fundraising for the first end-of-life hospice in St. Thomas and Elgin, which opend its doors last summer.
“It’s amazing,” marveled Yurek.” I was grateful when I got the call from (then Ontario Minister of Health and Long-term Care) Christine Elliott that she was supporting our bid for a hospice.
“Post-politics, I joined the board, as well as our pharmacy and our family being a donor. We joined the board to see the opening of the doors, and it’s a tremendous board we have. The staff, Brenda Fleming, the CEO at the hospice, is amazing, and her staff is giving such quality care to the people of our community.
” Prior to the hospice being here, people had to go to Woodstock or London if they needed hospice support. Otherwise, you’re in a hospital bed or you’re at home and you might not have all the services and support. So now we’re able to do that. So a tremendous addition to this community.”
And while it seems so long ago, Yurek volunteered of his time during the COVID pandemic to assist in the vaccination clinics held at Memorial Arena in St. Thomas (see photo below).
We asked Yurek to talk about the importance of taking time to volunteer in the community.
“Volunteerism is essential to having a community function. We can’t rely on government to do everything. We shouldn’t rely on government to be our everything. They can only do so much. And in order to make the community work and come together, it’s through volunteerism, whether it’s our railway community or our hospital community or hospice.
“The INN (the city’s emergency shelter), Indwell (Christian housing provider), it’s all volunteers who make that come together and make it work. And we’re supporting one another because we care and we’re a caring community.
“And it’s a privilege to live in St. Thomas with the supports we have in the teams of volunteers of all ages who are out there. So I, I think quite highly of volunteers. It is a definite need if you want a caring, loving community that will grow.”
Listen to our interview with Jeff Yurek below.
Written by Ian McCallum
