The Hand Hills Lake Stampede has become a tradition for many families to come and enjoy an up-close and personal rodeo experience.
    For some, the tradition is volunteering to make it a great show.
    Marilyn Vredegoor has been one of those volunteering for more than four decades.
    “I have been a volunteer for about the 45 years I have been here in the Hand Hills,” she tells the Mail. “It was just the thing to do, everyone was involved, it was such a big community thing to do. The whole community shut down to get ready for the stampede.”
    While she has not been on the executive, she has played key roles as a volunteer, planning and preparing, as well as working during the event.
    “I was still going to be there regardless,” she said.
    She was a big part of the centennial celebrations for the Hand Hills Stampede, including creating a book to celebrate the legacy of the event.
    “My thing is I like to see people have a good time, and I figure that is what is happening. The accolades that come with it, they don’t matter, as long as they are having a good time,” she said.
    The Stampede has gone through its ups and downs but has seen a strong resurgence.
    “It was dying for a while because we had it on a Wednesday, but once we went to the weekend, it has come a long way in the last 20 years,” she said.   
    They were named the Small Committee of the Year Award by Pro Rodeo Canada for the last three years running.
    Vredegoor says one of the most important aspects of the event is families.
    “We never want to lose that part of it, where families can come and spend a weekend together,” she said. “It is a tradition, 104 years, there is a generational thing that goes along with it.”
    She sees volunteerism is important to a small community and everyone should give it a try.
    “It’s work, but it’s fun work. You get to mingle with people, be out with people and express your own ideas and see them come full circle. You need to do it because there is something bigger than you,” she said. 

    For almost a decade Eileen Gallagher has been proving the power of a hug, in fact, she’s almost a professional.
     Shortly after Gallagher partially retired in 2011, she took on a volunteer role at the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary. Her role is to cuddle infants and children. This could be newborns or toddlers who are going through medical issues.
    “We are known, believe it or not, as ‘professional baby cuddlers,’” she tells the Mail. “There is no doubt there is any better job in the world. I shouldn’t say job because it’s a volunteer position, but it is the best ever.”
    She said a lot of the little patients in the hospital are not even from Calgary.
    They are from out of town, and it is not always the easiest thing for their parents or the family to be there with them and give them attention, especially the infants,” said Gallagher.
    She said mostly she works with infants and some preemies. On her unit, she has children often with digestive issues or heart issues, or cleft palates. Kids over the age of 4 typically are more apt to entertain themselves with electronics, and may not always want to be social.
    “They need that interaction. And they love having some in their room. Some of them are quite vociferous about it if there isn’t anyone. I have seen nurses standing in the doorway because the little one sensed when she was not there,” she said.
    She learned about the position because her daughter works at the Children’s Hospital and one day mentioned they were getting short on cuddlers.
    “I said I have always wanted to do that. So I had my interview and they explained everything that was needed,” she said.
    This included a background check and criminal record checks as well as being up to date on vaccinations.
    She goes once a week for about a four-hour shift, and she says it is the best day of her week.
     Often cuddlers can get attached to the kids, especially with some who are there for the long term. Sometimes they also get to meet the parents.
    “They are always so grateful because they feel better knowing their baby is being cuddled anyway, even if they can’t be there,” she said
    After almost 10 years, she has no plans to stop.
    “That will be the last thing that goes,” she laughs.