Lynda Shephard is busier than ever in retirement. She has taken on a few volunteer roles with SIRCH Community Services, supporting the work of the social services agency in the Haliburton community. She also chairs a local charitable organization that provides community and a healing space for people living with cancer.

Today, Lynda will greet many of the 44 people who come through the doors of the SIRCH Repair Café, bringing with them items in need of TLC such as clothing, furniture, electronics, jewelry, bikes, ceramics and more. After directing a new group towards the registration table, Lynda takes a few minutes to share more about her role and philosophy of volunteering.

How do you describe your role here at the Repair Café.

I am a greeter and jack of all trades. When people come in with their items to be repaired, I want to make them feel comfortable. I chat with them and let them know about the process. I show them to the registration table. I may speak with them when they are in the waiting area, to find out more. Sometimes there are bigger issues than the object they have brought in for repair. One senior shared with me that she was struggling at home with things like yard maintenance. I was able to provide a local contact to enable her to get some assistance.

Do you have a guiding principle in your life and volunteer work?

When the anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked the question: “What was the earliest sign of civilization?”, her student expected her to say a clay pot, a grinding stone or maybe a weapon.

Mead thought for a moment and said, “A healed femur.” The femur is the longest bone in the body, linking the hip to the knee. It usually takes six weeks of rest to heal. A healed femur shows that someone cared for the injured person — hunting, gathering and staying with them.

The first sign of civilization is compassion. This idea that kindness, care and compassion makes us civilized resonates with me.  I also come by volunteering honestly – my dad was a Rotarian and both of my parents always helped others.

Can you tell us more about your roles with SIRCH?

Besides the Repair Café, I volunteer at the SIRCH Thrift Warehouse. I am responsible for curating books, organizing them into categories like fiction, biography, gardening, decorating etc. – to make it easier for patrons to find the books they want. There is a nice connection with the Repair Café, because some items repaired by our fixers are sold at the thrift store, with proceeds to SIRCH.

As today’s Repair Café winds down, Lynda gives well wishes to some of the departing guests. In her professional life, Lynda played a senior role in leadership development with the provincial government, with a focus on best practices and new ideas. She brings those skills to her many volunteer roles in retirement – along with the responsibility she feels to care for others.

For more information on the cancer retreat Lynda chairs, visit brooksong.ca

For more information on Haliburton’s SIRCH Community Services and its amazing Repair Cafe, visit sirch.on.ca