Rae's bio: A WAY WILL OPEN
My name is Rae Mavor. I was born and grew up in Toronto and moved to Stratford as a 21 year-old bride. My husband and I have been married for 53 years. I am the mother of two sons, the mother in law of two daughters in law, and grandmother to four grandchildren. I'm a nurse, and more importantly, I'm a volunteer.
Growing up in Toronto, I learned the value of service from my mother, who did extensive volunteer work in the community. As a teen, I worked one summer on First Nations reserves on Georgian Bay, and was involved for a number of years with a special friends programme for at-risk children.
My husband was a teacher. We always planned that our retirement would involve developing-country medical trips, but first I would have to become a nurse. That wouldn't happen for twenty years.
During that time, I volunteered with YMCA Stratford for three years, and at Optimism Place for seven. My husband and I directed numerous Quaker co-ed summer camps for 15 to 18 year olds, and more recently 8 Labour Day Weekend camps for the Quaker Committee for Refugees. At the age of forty I graduated as an RN. Four years later I became a specialist in wound and ostomy care. During that time I also took advanced palliative care, foot care, and assessment courses. As a wound care and ostomy nurse, I visited patients in their homes and consulted with institutions. I always practiced as a community nurse, building on and learning from both my medical training and the experience of my volunteering.
Most importantly, I’ve worked as a volunteer at Stratford Medical Mission Depot for 33 years. A small group of volunteers collects, organizes, and packs an astounding assortment of medical supplies before sending them on to worldwide destinations. Supplies range from knitted pneumonia vests to wheelchairs and walkers, from hygiene kits to educational supplies. Through the generosity of chains of volunteers, supplies make their way from rural hospitals,cottages and farm houses to the depot in Stratford.
My dream has always been to nurse in developing countries. I’ve been fortunate enough to work as part of 11 teams in Peru, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua. On two of those trips we worked with local Rotarian groups, and found their help to be invaluable. On behalf of a Stratford based charity, I visited patients in their homes in Morocco. I spent 2 winters in Nepal running solo medical clinics on behalf of Sasane, a Nepali NGO founded by survivors of human trafficking. I’ve taught in hospitals, HIV/AIDS homes/hospices, long term homes and orphanages. I've done street nursing on motorcycles, and in homes. I consult via phone with Cuban and Guatemalan clinics.
I tend always to carry extensive first aid kits with me. On personal holidays, I take as much as possible wherever I go, leaving it with local clinics and NGO's.
Every trip I've been on, every experience I've had has convinced me that the most important contribution we can make is education. Knowledge is the key to sustainability, because knowledge is also the key to prevention. Leave people with the information and the skills to help themselves, and the way will open for them.
