Volunteer Profile: Tammy McCabe

Tammy McCabe with her dog Remy.

Passion refers to a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement towards something or doing something. Tammy McCabe is a dedicated volunteer who exemplifies deep passion about a cause.

Tammy was first introduced to Threads of Life in 2010, and she took part in the inaugural St. John’s Steps for Life walk. When Tammy’s employer encouraged her to get involved, she quickly realized that the organization’s values aligned with her personal and professional values and she responded that “I was all in!”.

This year marks her 15th anniversary of participating in the walk, clearly illustrating the philosophy of being “all in”. However, she is not just a participant and advocate for workplace safety, she has been a member of the Steps for Life walk planning committee for the past 15 years, serving as committee chairperson since 2023. Her passion for volunteering with Threads of Life comes from at least three different sources:

• She believes that as a safety professional, “my responsibility does not end at the workplace”.
• She cares a great deal about people and is a strong believer in giving back to the community.
• But more importantly, she wants “family members to see that there are lots of people out there who truly care that this tragedy has impacted their family”.

After experiencing complicated grief, she understands the importance of having diverse support systems and has found that Threads of Life meets that need.

As a volunteer, one of her cherished memories is when she got to introduce a young Occupational Health and Safety student to Threads of Life. She is delighted to see how he has grown as a safety professional and has become a member of the Threads of Life Speaker’s Bureau. Witnessing this young man turning a tragedy into a career and using it as a tool to influence employees and employers, has truly “filled my cup”.

Last year St. John’s returned to an in-person walk after three years of virtual events. Although they planned conservatively, they had over 225 registrations and almost doubled their fundraising goal, raising $45,432. Tammy vividly remembers the feeling of pride as she took the stage to stand with the committee at the end of the walk. However, she is not done yet!

Tammy strongly believes that volunteering is beneficial for our mental health and provides us with the opportunity to connect with “like-minded individuals and recognize our connection to humanity”. She has exemplified this by volunteering with various organizations such as the Boy Scouts, Allied Youth, and most recently, serving as a director for the Newfoundland and Labrador Occupational Health and Safety Association.

If you were to ask Tammy today why one should volunteer, her response would be, “Just do it. It’s good for your soul”.

Tammy is a safety professional who is passionate about reducing workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. Her goal is to ensure that families who have been affected by these things “feel seen and heard”. She wants you to know that there are people who care about your loss and are working tirelessly to prevent it from happening again. 

Marking National Volunteer Week

National Volunteer Week will be celebrated from April 14 to 20, 2024. During this week we celebrate not only our wonderful Threads of Life volunteers, but the 24 million Canadians who volunteer formally, or informally to make their communities a better place to live.

This year we look forward to hosting our Volunteer and Partner celebration event on Thursday, April 18 at 2:30 ET. Please save the date – your invitation will arrive in your inbox shortly.

Threads of Life is built on volunteerism. We appreciate our volunteers all year round, but National Volunteer Week is a special opportunity for us to express how much our volunteers mean to the organization.