Jayne McMillan, ESS Volunteer (member since 2017)
Within a couple of months of moving to Bowen in 2016, Jayne heard about the ESS (Emergency Support Services) volunteer organization and decided she’d check it out. Having business experience supporting 9/11 and hurricanes Rita & Katrina disasters, she knew she also wanted to get involved supporting her community if/when a crisis occurs. Jayne stepped up to volunteer, take courses through JIBC (Justice Institute of BC) and start sharing her learnings. You can always find Jayne at an ESS booth be it at Bowfest, Firehall Open Houses or educating fellow seniors at SKY (Seniors Keeping Young) events.
If you ask Jayne what her most memorable moment has been with ESS she will tell you how 5 year old Nico made her a paper airplane and gave it to her after she registered his mom, dad and younger sister as Evacuees during the McDougall Creek Wildfire in August, 2023. Jayne considers herself fortunate to have been able to help when asked last minute (literally within 24 hrs) to head out on a 10-day deployment to an RC (Reception Centre) in West Kelowna. Having her Grab ‘n Go bag ready; she loaded her vehicle up and headed east not knowing for sure what to expect as BI fortunately has not endured a disaster requiring a RC for evacuees. This deployment provided Jayne with immense experience that she has shared with the rest of the Bowen Island ESS team. She spent the rest of 2023 ensuring others on BI have learned from this experience.
She’s a firm believer that being prepared is essential.
If you would like to explore what it means to be an ESS volunteer, please contact Carolyn McDonald (ESSD) at BowenESS@bimbc.ca.