Sudbury volunteer Bev Brisco cried for two days when she learned she would be presented with the June Callwood Award for her work with Maison McCulloch Hospice.
“I’m very honoured that the hospice did this for me,” Brisco said, adding that she did not expect anything like this at all.
A former manager at Sears and Sears Home, Brisco is receiving the award as she deals with a serious illness.
She is a member of the Sudbury Hospice Foundation board, and was the chair of the hospice’s annual fundraising gala for five years.
"The essence of our hospice is caring and sharing,” said Gerry Lougheed Jr., chair of the Sudbury Hospice Foundation board, which nominated Brisco for the award.
“Bev Brisco embodies these qualities as a leader and committed volunteer in helping others. Bev brings the light of love to the darkness of this weary world."
Beyond her work with the hospice, Brisco is also a well-known volunteer with the Northern Cancer Foundation, and was part of Angels in Pink, and team of Sudburians who raised money for breast cancer equipment and a van that takes women to and from breast screening appointments.
Sudbury.com surprised Brisco with an Act of Kindness back in 2018 for her work on behalf of those battling cancer. You can watch the video below.
She has also volunteered for a number of other causes, including Keeping Seniors Warm, an initiative where 50 senior citizens take part in a fun day of socializing and shopping for winter necessities to keep them warm when the weather gets cold.
Brisco also worked with Home Hospice North, the Sudbury Business and Professional Women’s Club, the Greater Sudbury Public Library board, the Bell Park Advisory Panel and many other organizations.
The June Callwood Award was established in 1994 by the Hospice Association of Ontario, now Hospice Palliative Care Ontario (HPCO), to acknowledge and thank outstanding hospice volunteers throughout Ontario.
The award is named for the late June Callwood, a long-time advocate of hospice, community activist, journalist, author and recipient of the Order of Canada.
Callwood, who founded Casey House, a hospice for people with HIV/AIDS, was the inaugural recipient of the award. She passed away from cancer in 2007.
“June Callwood was a social activist, and was not afraid to say when things were wrong,” Brisco said. “I guess in a lot of ways, I’m like that. I have no problem speaking out, and I can be as stubborn as anything. When I really feel that something is not right, I say it.”
Brisco said she believes strongly in the work done by Maison McCulloch Hospice. She said she has had friends and family members who have used its services.
“The amount of dignity and respect has always amazed me,” she said. “You leave this earth when you’re in the hospice in peace and in quiet, surrounded by friends and family. What more can you ask for?
“Now you know why I’m involved in the hospice. I firmly believe in it. I wouldn’t have worked so hard to raise money for the hospice if I didn’t believe in everything that it stands for.”
