Calgary Ostomy E-News November 2023

Get engaged with Calgary’s ostomy community! Learn more about our events, volunteer training and opportunities in the Calgary Ostomy E-News for November 2023.

Calgary Ostomy Events Calendar

Calgary Ostomy Young Adults at Monster Mini Golf

The Calgary Ostomy Society executive committee is working hard to provide our members with a robust events calendar. In October, we held several events, including the Ostomy Canada Webinar and Young Adults Mini Golf, which both received a decent turnout. Our support group saw quite a few new faces, and we were able to assist with addressing concerns for new ostomates.

We have three events on the horizon, with something special planned for our final event of 2023!

Ostomy Visitor Training – November 25, 2023, at 12:00 pm at the Giuffre Family Library and via Zoom. This course will prepare you to share your ostomy journey with new patients via phone, Zoom, or in the hospital. Active chapter membership and a police information check are required. Lunch is provided.

Note: This training session will be for new volunteers only. We plan to hold a recertification course in the new year for our long-time visitors.

Ostomy & J-Pouch Virtual Support Group – November 28, 2023, at 7:00 pm via Zoom. This is our final support group for 2023. Virtual meetings will resume in the new year; however, the in-person hybrid support meetings will be put on hold until the spring.

Christmas Social – December 16, 2023, at 6:00 pm at the Kerby Centre. The event includes a Traditional Christmas Dinner, an Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest, and a Gift Exchange. Don’t miss out on this fun-filled event! Tickets are available online for $35 per person, and must be purchased before December 8.

Note: we will not hold an auction this winter, as we decided to move that to the spring.

For more information on Calgary Ostomy events, please see our Events Calendar.

Ostomy Visitor Program Update

Our Ostomy Visitor Program has recently received an unusually high number of calls from men who underwent urostomy surgery. Unfortunately, we had no Certified Ostomy Visitors available under this demographic, so a call was put out for volunteers. We are grateful to one member who has stepped up to provide support.

Since our chapter’s inception, we have supported new patients adjusting to a new stoma through the Ostomy Visitor Program. Even today, in the age of social media, the need for personal support is still great! We are recruiting volunteers of all ages for all surgery types, including ileostomy, urostomy, colostomy, and j-pouch. Visits are conducted as needed, so this is a very casual position. Please see our event listing for more information about getting involved.

If you require support for your ostomy or j-pouch, please contact our coordinators Kaylee and Leanne by calling (587) 887-0910, emailing visiting@calgaryostomy.ca or fill out the Request A Visitor form on our Ostomy Visitor Program page to connect.

Volunteers Needed

Our chapter has been operating without a treasurer for several months, and Tiffany Shorson needs to step down from most of her tasks, apart from the website. If you have experience with bookkeeping, marketing, communications, admin, or graphic design, we can use your help! These flexible positions only require a few hours per month and are remote. A personal computer is necessary; however, we provide software such as Canva, MS Office, and Grammarly. Please visit our Volunteer With Us page if you can assist in the following roles:

• Treasurer – Handle all financial duties, including bookkeeping, tax receipts, etc.
• Event Coordinator – Assist with event planning. Create event listings and graphics and post online (website, social).
• Membership Coordinator – Update membership list as well as volunteer data.
• E-News Editor – Write monthly updates (such as this post) and email to members.
• Administrative Assistant – support our executive committee, including meeting minutes, special projects, and MS 365 and Zoom account management.
• Publications Coordinator – Store, replenish and distribute publications, such as Ostomy Canada brochures.

Since 1968, Calgary Ostomy has been a volunteer-run organization, and we are still running strong. However, we can’t do this without the participation of our community. With so many ways to get involved with our chapter, we hope you will join us in our mission to help others live life to the fullest with an ostomy or j-pouch!