Volunteer Spotlight – Dorothy Adlington

The year that Dorothy Adlington first walked into the General Hospital to volunteer, Guelph’s population had just topped 70,000. That was 1980, thirty-nine years ago!

Dorothy and her husband Murray moved to Guelph in 1962, and she worked as a secretary in the insurance industry and school system while their two children were young. As time became more available, Dorothy grew interested in volunteering. When her daughter, Kathleen, a candy-striper and an aspiring nurse, received a bursary from the Hospital to further her career, Dorothy thought it would be a good idea to give back.

She started as a patient escort, then progressed to the information desk and Employee Health before focussing her work in the Hospital Foundation office. These days, Dorothy files, copies, enters data, and tallies event proceeds. She bundles up gift packages for new parents in the Rotary Club of Guelph Family Birthing Unit and addresses envelopes with her beautiful penmanship.  Dorothy is a very competent jack-of-all-trades—someone that staff count on. 

Why does Dorothy keep coming back?  She says she enjoys the work and meeting people. She gets satisfaction from contributing to the Foundation, knowing that it raises dollars for all the important services and programs the Hospital. In her words, it is rewarding to be “doing something useful.” Dorothy is now a Life Member of the Volunteer Association and a proud member of the Quarter Century Club.  Thirty-nine years of service — that’s incredible!  Foundation CEO Suzanne Bone speaks for all Foundation staff when she says, “Dorothy is so special to us. Her contribution to patient care through her volunteerism is meaningful, and she is a delight to have in our office.”