April 15 – 21 is National Volunteer Week, a time to celebrate and thank Canada’s 12.7 million volunteers. And the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation (COF) is proud that over 300 of those volunteers spend their time with us. We thank each and every one of them.

Volunteers commit to the COF in a variety of ways:

• Former orthopaedic patients provide peer support through Ortho Connect, a program that matches orthopaedic surgery patients with volunteers who have had similar surgeries. These volunteers lessen the anxiety and isolation that some patients experience prior to surgery.
• Orthopaedic surgeons and researchers volunteer their time and expertise to review the grant applications we receive, helping to identify the top research projects for funding.
• Community volunteers organize fundraising events (such as our Saskatoon Hip Hip Hooray! walk, local Pedometer Challenge events and our Bad to the Bone golf tournament). Funds raised by these volunteer organizers are critically important to our ability to deliver COF programs.
• A dedicated team of surgeons and professionals serve as volunteer Directors, governing our Foundation at the Board level.

To all of our volunteers, THANK YOU for spending your time and donating your skills to the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation, and for sharing your commitment to our vision: Pain free mobility for all Canadians.