Volunteer Stories
Our volunteers span the spectrum of the community and we are proud to profile their accomplishments and their experiences in this section.
Feature volunteer: Norma Haskett
When it comes to sewing, Norma welcomes any type of challenge. Norma joined the CanAssist team in the beginning of 2005 and has been involved with a number of our projects since then.
A native of Hampshire, England, Norma has been sewing since she was five years old. As a teenager, she moved to Toronto, Canada where she sewed professionally and worked in various office jobs. Norma decided to move to Victoria fifteen years ago and has since taken on a variety of sewing projects including designing headbands and clothing for her grandchildren.
Now happily retired, Norma spends her spare time gardening, reading, knitting and sewing. She also finds time to volunteer at the YMCA as a cook for the street youth program. “I really enjoy cooking for others and helping people,” she explains.
Since becoming a volunteer for CanAssist, Norma has sewn a number of headbands for our Laser Pointer Communication projects. Individuals who use our laser pointers need headbands to hold the devices to their heads so Norma has been very helpful with providing comfortable ones to our users. In a recent project, she modified a baseball cap to be used by an individual who plays Wheelchair Bocce Ball.
For every project, Norma puts in a great deal of effort to ensure that her sewn items are of a pleasing shape, size and color. “I enjoy doing this and it is nice to see the kids wearing and using the headbands that I make,” she says.
Feature volunteer: Bill Hook
When we asked Bill Hook why he decided to volunteer for CanAssist he said, "It's because I enjoy figuring out solutions to complex technical problems and I enjoy working with smart young students."
Bill Hook is one of CanAssist's many invaluable volunteers who dedicate their spare time to the organization. Bill is a retired communications engineer who graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Science. Bill has an impressive background, having spent three years in the US air force as a flight line officer where he supervised operation of electronic equipment for 75 jet fighter bombers. In addition, Bill worked for TRW Inc. for 32 years as an engineer and research scientist. At TRW, he worked on a variety of projects ranging from satellite communication systems, to signal processing, to laser technology.
Bill's varied experience has been a huge asset to CanAssist. He has contributed hugely to our brainwave communication research. In addition, he has been a key member of the team developing an eye-tracking system. He has also pioneered research on the detection of electrical signals associated with the movement of facial muscles (electromyography) and using these signals as the basis of a communication and control system.
Bill has enjoyed being able to help people while working on projects that relate to his research interests. He recently directed a project that enabled a talented painter, who has multiple sclerosis, to use the movement of her head and the electrical signals from her jaw muscles to start painting pictures on a computer. "After drawing two multi-color paintings and a tree, she looked up at me and the other volunteer and said 'You people are wonderful,'" Bill recollects.