Volunteer Spotlight: Charlotte Young-On

Charlotte became a Companion Calls volunteer in March and participated in our pen pals program back in the fall of 2020... 

After reading SAGE’s mission, Charlotte felt motivated to support seniors, leading her to become a volunteer. She has been video chatting with a resident from the Ivan Franko Homes on a weekly basis and their friendship has strengthened over the last few months. They cover a number of topics during their hour-long conversations, including family life, travel memories, and summer activities. Both Charlotte and the resident look forward to their weekly call and are excited to catch up, highlighting how Companion Calls are beneficial for both volunteers and seniors. Charlotte is working towards a career change from the arts to healthcare, and has a particular interest in senior wellbeing. Through SAGE, she hopes to further her understanding of the unique challenges affecting seniors, especially during a pandemic that has made seniors vulnerable to social isolation. Charlotte will be attending Queen’s University, pursuing an MSc. in Occupational Therapy. She hopes to incorporate her valuable insights and experiences she gathered from SAGE as she starts her career in Occupational Therapy. We thank Charlotte for bringing all of her commitment and dedication to SAGE.