Volunteerism a family tradition for Thurber
Phyllis Thurber, a volunteer for the Canadian Cancer Society for the past 15 years, is the town of Digby’s volunteer of the year, and was among those recognized at a dinner in Halifax as well as a local ceremony last week.
Thurber began volunteering as a canvasser with the Cancer Society in 1992.
“Then I became the coordinator for the annual campaign,” she says. “And last year I helped organize our first Relay for Life.”
That event’s 37 teams raised $78,000 and Thurber is optimistic the figure can be reached again this year. The event already has 32 teams registered, evenly split between returning and new teams.
Thurber, an employee of Scotiabank for 30 years, has also volunteered in the past with Christmas Daddies, the food bank, and Seniors Phone-a-Friend. Her son played hockey for 17 years, so she did her share for his teams as well.
Thurber says she just loves helping people—and it seems it comes to her naturally. She recalls that her father, Lynott Hersey of Tiverton, was always doing things for people in his community.
“If there was a family in need, he was out there raising money to help them out. It’s a wonder we even had a house—I swear he would have given it away.”
Thurber began following in her father’s footsteps during her teen years, canvassing for local causes.
But while she is not shy about asking people to help out good causes, she admits she was scared when Bob Powell of Digby Area Recreation Commission asked her to say a few words at the annual volunteer dinner.
She chose to tell the crowd about the ceremony in Halifax, where she and Stanley Comeau were among volunteers honored by the province.
“There was Stanley, there was a 92-year-old lady who looked 65, there were volunteers in wheelchairs and there was a 13-year-old who had been raising money for four years for the Children’s Wish Foundation.
“I was just so impressed,” she said.
