Cypress volunteers

The Cypress Health Region holds a Volunteer Appreciation Tea in Swift Current on Thursday. (Photo: Cypress Health Region)

National Volunteer Week wraps up today, and the Cypress Health Region is recognizing those who give their time to help them out.

"Our volunteers contribute 20,000 hours annually to various programs and things within their communities," said Shannon Frederick, the Health Region's Human Resources Consultant. "It's absolutely imperative that we have volunteers. Some of our programs we can't even run without volunteers, things like Meals on Wheels just aren't possible without their help. That means so much to us."

Some of the other programs in the Health Region that benefit from volunteers are the fall flu clinics, the Parent Mentoring Program, and Long Term Care activities.

In 2010, the Health Region started a scholarship program on behalf of its volunteers, which awards 11 bursaries of $200 each to high school students in the southwest every year.

"It's been really successful, we're thrilled," Frederick added. "The things that they're doing are absolutely incredible, they're contributing so much to their communities, and we just want to honour that on behalf of the volunteers that are doing so much for us."

The Health Region is also recognizing its volunteer base through the month of April by hosting Volunteer Appreciation Teas throughout the southwest.