Sam Chapple - volunteer

Sam Chapple is a volunteer who runs the weekly men’s group activities for residents at St. Joseph’s Auxiliary Hospital. It’s a diverse group of participants with varying degrees of strengths and weaknesses, physical and cognitive disabilities and limitations and a long list of medical conditions.

That’s not what they’re there to talk about.

Sam treats every person in the group as they should be treated: as a person, not a diagnosis. He encourages everyone to contribute to the discussion and listens patiently to their responses, no matter how long it may take them to formulate their thoughts or express themselves with speech impairments. Everyone’s opinion is valued. Everyone is acknowledged. And everyone leaves the session feeling upbeat and in a better mood.

With the help of other volunteers, Sam prepares presentations for each session. He takes suggestions from his participants, and if the topic’s new to Sam, he does research and presents that topic the following week.

Sam has positive and welcoming energy, and it’s contagious – for the volunteers he works with and the men in his group. He not only loves what he does, but he also loves the people he works with and the residents he helps support. Together with his team members, Sam is building a brotherhood and creating relationships that will last a lifetime.