To register as a volunteer, please visit our registration page hosted by Communal by clicking here.

If you are having trouble registering, please watch the video below or contact volunteers@grhf.ca for support. 

Grand River Hospital Volunteers provide support in the hospital Clinical environment as well as in our Community. Below is a brief description of the many roles supporting our hospital in various settings.

Community Volunteers

Our Community Volunteers take on many roles outside of the hospital environment. The onboarding process is remarkably shorter, and the time commitment can be significantly less than Clinical Volunteers. Any age, any availability - we have a spot for you on our Community Team!

The Community Volunteer program consists of:

• Foundation Volunteers - Support the Grand River Hospital Foundation by delivering purchases from the online store, supporting Fundraising Campaigns, working in the Foundation Office, research opportunities from your own home or even Holiday Gift wrapping.
• Grand Grounds - Have a green thumb? Passionate about the environment? Grand Grounds Volunteers work to beautify the grounds surrounding our hospital through regular cleanup initiatives or special seasonal decorating.
• Events Crew - Only have a few hours? Support a local community event with setup, onsite support or cleanup. Come to one event or more.

Clinical Volunteers

Our Clinical Volunteers are on site at our hospital campuses, providing support to our patients and staff where the hospital needs us most. Clinical Volunteers are required to submit health check information for onboarding and can require a longer time commitment for some roles. Below are just a small sample of the types of things you can do as a Clinical Volunteer.

Grand River Regional Cancer Centre Volunteer opportunitites include:

• Cancer Centre Ambassador - Welcome patients arriving for appointments and provide support with registration and porterering throughout the Cancer Centre.
• Waterloo Wellington Breast Centre - Supporting patients arriving to the Centre with pre-registration and non-medical support.
• Chemotherapy Suite - Greeting patients receiving treatment and providing non-medical support to patients and staff.
• Genetics Research - Supporting research initiatives in building patient family histories in genetics counselling (Volunteers involved in this opportunity are usually those who are seeking further education in Genetics Research)

Volunteer in a patient support role such as:

• Grand Welcome - Welcome all visitors to GRH Facilities. Provide wayfinding and portering support to patients and visitors for appointments and patient visits.
• Emergency Department - Greet patients and care partners arriving to the Emergency Department, assist with registration and way finding. Assist staff with non-medical support of patients and their families.
• Patient Registration - Provide pre-registration support for patients arriving for appointments and treatments. Ensure patients are at the right place for their appointment and provide portering or wayfinding support as needed.
• H.E.L.P - Hospital Elder Life Program- An evidence-based program providing specific interventions and support to older adult inpatients on our acute medicine units. 
• Patient Experience/Socialization Program - Provide non-medical support to patients in long term rehabilitation programs, socialization and visitation at our Freeport Location.
• Intensive Care Greeter - Greet families visiting patients in the Intensive Care Unit, provide support liaising with ICU Staff.
• Grand Concierge - Provide personalized attention to patients, facilitated by state of the art technology, to ensure patient experiences are beyond their expectations.
• Grand River Kids - Provide non-medical support to parents of newborns or children in the Pediatric unit. Many different opportunities exist in this program, such as NICU Support, Maternity and Obstetrics and the Pediatric Unit.

Or check out some other possible roles:

• Gift Shop - Greet our staff, patients and visitors and support their unique shopping experience in one of our 2 Gift Shop locations.
• Resource Centre Support - Cancer Centre - Support patients through their treatment journey by organizing and providing valuable resources through the Resource Centre.
• Special Projects - There are many projects that come up in our hospitals that require dedicated Volunteers. From the organization of a master digital library to the creation of virtual tours of specialized areas of our hospital, the possibilities are endless.

Don’t see a role here that interests you? There are many more opportunities not listed - submit your registration today, and we will contact you and work to find a role that works best for everyone.

If you are interested in Volunteering in one of our Hospital locations, you can expedite the onboarding process by beginning to gather some of the required documentation to submit during the registration process, such as a Vulnerable Sector check (available by contacting Waterloo Regional Police Services) and Health Check information such as proof of Covid-19 Vaccination (2 Doses), MMR, Varicella and Tetanus Vaccinations, well as a recent TB Test as per hospital guidelines. *

*If you are unable to obtain the required Health Check documentation please contact our Volunteer Engagement Managers for more information on how the Hospital can help.