You have to wonder
when Evelyn Shore sleeps. This active Ottawa senior has been and
continues to be involved in so many volunteer activities and organizations
that there's not enough room to write about them all. In fact,
it's hard to keep them straight. It's even harder to keep up with her. Back in 1992, Evelyn was honoured with a medal from Canada's then Governor General, Ramon Hnatyshyn, for her volunteer work. She certainly hasn't slowed down since. For starters, she's second vice president of the Senior Citizens Council of Ottawa. She volunteers for practically every council activity, from packaging and mailing the monthly newsletters to supervising and working at the council's free income tax clinics. "I enjoy it immensely."
A widowed great grandmother who grew up in Russell, Ontario, this committed public helper has been getting involved in civic life for over 30 years and she has worked gratis at the local, provincial and national levels to make good things happen.
"My big interests are housing and health." She has been involved in many capacities with housing organizations, including the Cooperative Housing Foundation of Canada, and she sits on the board of directors of Ottawa Community Housing. In the health realm, she has acted as a consultant for both the federal and Ontario governments.
She has served on various committees for the Council on Aging of Ottawa and she's really keen about her involvement on the board of directors of PACE (Programs for Autonomy and Communication for the Elderly) 2000. It's an innovative organization that supports communication between young people and seniors through the use of technology. "It's amazing," she enthuses. "I wouldn't give (this involvement) up for anything. I have met people from all over the world."
Evelyn's co-chair of the Ottawa Seniors Action Network and chairs the board of directors of ACTO (Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario), a housing law clinic in Toronto with directors from across the province. There's more: She's membership chair and recording secretary for the Montgomery branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and she's also on the Speakers Bureau for the United Way. To boot, she sat on the first elected board of directors of the Community Care Access Centre and has served as president of Ottawa Lifelong Learning for Older Adults.
None of these significant roles or voluntary tasks is a chore for Evelyn Shore. It's not work, she says. It's a pleasure. "It's my interest. "When my husband died 16 years ago, this is what kept me going." And boy is she still going strong!
PACE
2000 International Foundation
Intuition
Systems