May 2, 2025
Did you know that each week, 400 St.Amant volunteers help enhance the lives of people with developmental disabilities or autism? On April 10, the Volunteer Appreciation Awards celebrated the kind, caring, and gracious individuals who donate their time to St.Amant. In honour of Volunteer Appreciation Week (April 27 – May 2), we will be sharing some words from the award recipients on their experience volunteering at St.Amant.
Pat Nicholls, the proud owner of Thorn, Tari, Lika & Arien, has been a volunteer at St.Amant for over 10 years. Pat’s visits with the dogs bring so much joy, calm, and kindness to our days. We love watching the dogs help children feel safe, brave, and happy!
“I have been volunteering at St. Amant for over 10 years. Originally, I was helping in the pool once a week with my husband, Edwin Nicholls. A staff member at one of the St. Amant homes had mentioned to Volunteer Services that they thought a pet visit would enhance the lives of the people they support.
When we heard of this, we thought that our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Tari, would be perfect for this as she always enjoys meeting new people. So we started visiting once a week and found that everyone seemed to smile when we arrived. We expanded the visits to include the River Road Child Care and the classrooms in St. Amant as well as other homes. We also added our other dog Thorn at this time.
One of my favourite aspects of bringing our dogs to St. Amant is seeing the smiles on people’s faces when we pass them in the halls, even if they didn’t stop and pet them but just walked by. Even though Tari and Thorn are now retired from volunteering, our two younger Cavaliers, Lika and Arien, do visits weekly.
One of my favourite stories, from visiting the Daycare, was when one of the children, who was playing with a toy car, turned to Tari and offered her the car to play with. A staff member who was close by, looked at me and said he never voluntarily shares his toys with the other kids.
We keep coming back, because everyone is so welcoming and hearing the children announce that “the puppies are here, the puppies are here” brings a smile to my face and warmth to my heart. “
Pat, your visits with the pups brighten our day and leave a lasting impact– some kids speak more, smile more, or feel less worried when the pups are near. We are so lucky to have you as part of our community, thank you for spreading joy!
Please visit our Volunteer page if you are interested in volunteering or would like more information about our Volunteer Services.
