Diana found her place in the community through volunteering at Casey House. As a graduate student, most days, she is either studying or working at a lab researching immunology. When she moved to Toronto in 2024, she often wondered about our building while walking around the neighbourhood. After some online searching, she was pleased to discover it was an HIV specialty hospital. With a little encouragement and an added history lesson about Casey House from her lab boss, she decided this would be the perfect opportunity to get more involved locally.
Diana started as a lunch volunteer, and describes her first impression of Casey House as feeling more like a community than just a hospital, with its distinctly warm and kind atmosphere. She recounts meeting a widely diverse range of people during her shifts. When her school schedule changed, she transitioned to the inpatient unit where she co-facilitates Sunday Sundaes, an ice cream bar offering sweet treats to clients. She appreciates developing a stronger rapport with a small group of inpatient clients each Sunday.
On occasion, Diana sees street-involved clients from her lunch shifts outside of Casey House, which gives her a sense of connection with members of her local community. Moreover, she can recount several clients that have left an impact on her through their conversations. Whether they were big personalities, had unique skills, or had some great stories to share.
As an academic researcher, Diana is inspired to support marginalized communities that are disproportionately impacted by infectious diseases. Diana finds volunteering at Casey House to be an important reminder that the populations she researches are comprised of unique and fulsome individuals. In fact, she even recruited some of her lab mates and peers to start volunteering at Casey House.
Diana believes that putting positive energy out into the world with good intentions will be reciprocated by the world. For her, building a strong community can only be achieved by making an effort to interact with diverse and local social circles. Thank you Diana, for taking a chance on Casey House and supporting our community!