Stuebing says although residents of the Kitchener long-term care home are there for different reasons, the one thing uniting them is that they are each unique. And even though some residents may not be as cognitively well as others, Stuebing says you can learn something from each of them if you’re willing to make the effort.

“One of the things I’ve learned is that in every one of those bodies is a person, and every one of those people has a story,” Stuebing tells The Morning Report.

Stuebing began volunteering at Forest Heights after his wife, who had multiple sclerosis, moved into the home in 2001. At first he became involved with the home’s family council and over time began turning up at the home to help staff members.

After Stuebing’s wife passed away in 2006, he continued to volunteer his time. Stuebing says volunteering allows him to see the impact that giving up just a little bit of time can have on residents.

“It makes me feel good. I feel very good that I’ve been able to help,” he says. “It’s nice when you can do something and see that it has some kind of effect . . . There’s no way of describing the happiness and the joy when people can participate . . . It’s win-win.”

Even when people volunteer just a little of their time, it makes a clear difference in the home, says Stuebing.

“The people that work at the home only have so much time. When volunteers are available, it expands the (programming),” he says. “Ultimately it’s the residents who are gaining. The more they have to do, the happier they are.”

And it can be the seemingly small things which make a difference in residents’ lives.

Thanks to Stuebing and other volunteers, residents now have more access to home’s snack kiosk. The kiosk, called the Tuck Shop, sells items such as chocolate bars, ice cream and pop to residents and their guests.

The Tuck Shop was initially open for 15 minutes on Saturday afternoons. Thanks to the efforts of Stuebing and other volunteers, it is now open for one hour two times per week.

Stuebing also credits other volunteers at the home for making his volunteering an enjoyable experience.

“I do have a good group of willing volunteers that help,” he says.