It is the equivalent of working 24 hours a day for more than 62 days straight.

After 13 years and 1,500 hours of volunteer service at the Victoria WomenB次元官网网址檚 Transition House, Langford resident Tammy Dickeson is still going strong.

B次元官网网址淚 see the work the staff do there and they are all really dedicated. I like the fact I can go in there, take some mundane work off their hands,B次元官网网址� Dickeson said. B次元官网网址�(That way) they can spend more of their energy on the women there.B次元官网网址�

Her role at the Transition House, a shelter that provides safety and support for women when they are most in need, is important to Dickeson and fuels her penchant for the small tasks many take for granted. From cleaning the rooms, watering plants, organizing the kitchen, sorting recycling or stocking toiletries, Dickeson does whatever it takes to make the womenB次元官网网址檚 shelter a little more comfortable for residents, who are living through challenging times.

B次元官网网址淗aving had some abusive relationships in my past as a teen and young woman, it makes me want to give back to women who need to leave and want to leave,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 know how hard that it is and any small thing I can do to help them on their journey, I am happy to do it.B次元官网网址�

Dianne DeChamplain, the volunteer co-ordinator at the Transition House, said Dickeson is one of the most dedicated volunteers she has ever seen. Dickeson was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Transition House in February, following up a CFAX Citation Rose she received for volunteerism in 2006. As a volunteer she has demonstrated that doing whatever it takes for people she has never met B次元官网网址� and may never see again once they leave the home B次元官网网址� is routine, DeChamplain said.

B次元官网网址淪ometimes people undervalue the simple things people do that make a huge difference,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚t helps to create that warm, welcoming, tidy place for women whose whole lives are in chaos. Even little things people do makes a big difference.B次元官网网址�

Everything from the work Dickeson does around the house to her fundraising efforts B次元官网网址� sheB次元官网网址檚 helped raise more than $17,000 B次元官网网址� is done with a creativity and class DeChamplain canB次元官网网址檛 say enough about.

B次元官网网址淚t is hard to put it into words. She is a model for other people who are thinking of volunteering. She sets a high standard and achieves it. She is great. Quite a special person.B次元官网网址�

Dickeson, 51, a postal worker when not volunteering, believes her work at the Transition House isnB次元官网网址檛 yet done. She plans to be there lending a hand as long as women continue to come through the doors.

B次元官网网址淚 am going to stay there as long as the facility is needed. It would be lovely to say we donB次元官网网址檛 need shelters for women anymore, but I donB次元官网网址檛 know that it is ever going to happen,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淔or now, I will keep plugging away and if they need help, then IB次元官网网址檓 not far away.B次元官网网址�

alim@vicnews.com