Volunteer Profile: Lisa Houtkooper

By Elaine Mew, Volunteer Coordinator

We all choose to volunteer and give of our time and talent for different reasons. For Lisa Houtkooper, the alignment between her personal and professional values and those of Threads of Life is what keeps her engaged and motivated as a member of the volunteer community.

Lisa became a Threads of Life volunteer in 2022 after hearing her colleagues talk about the Steps for Life walk. Not knowing what that was, she did her research and learned about Threads of Life. As she explored the website, the Community Engagement Volunteer role piqued her interest as it seemed like a meaningful way to get involved and a good fit both personally and professionally.

Since then, Lisa’s engagement as a volunteer has expanded. Her main role is as a Community Engagement Volunteer, but she has also served as an Event Day volunteer with the Steps for Life walk. As an occupational health nurse, she coordinates an injured worker speaker series event so she was able to tap into the Speakers Bureau to bring in a speaker which afforded an opportunity to present about Threads of Life. She has also represented Threads of Life as a Trade Show Representative on a couple of occasions.

What stands out for Lisa is the limited visibility and knowledge of Threads of Life in the community, particularly when the resources available are excellent and free! Volunteering with Threads of Life allows her to continue to raise awareness and support others while working towards safer and healthier workplaces for all.

She sees volunteering as a great way to give back, a powerful way to create positive change, a way to meet new people, and a way to learn, grow and connect with others who share similar values.  She sees such great alignment between Threads of Life and her personal and professional values.

A moment which stands out in her volunteer journey with Threads of Life was the 2025 Steps for Life walk in Winnipeg. This year, the walk moved to Lower Fort Garry, a national historic site which was a key trading post for the Hudson’s Bay Company in the 1830s. The day of the walk, Mother Nature came with cool temperatures, wind and a combination of mist and rain. Lisa had organized a team of walkers from the community health centre where she works. Despite the weather conditions, it was a memorable experience spending the day surrounded by such history, walking with colleagues in support of Threads of Life while helping to raise funds.

Aside from her contributions to Threads of Life, Lisa also serves on a board of a nonprofit that uses storytelling and expressive arts to support mental health, foster a sense of belonging and amplify underrepresented voices in the community. She also serves on the planning committee of a nonprofit organization that hosts an annual conference to foster connections among professionals and organizations, with an emphasis on leadership, personal development, and performance excellence.

For Lisa it’s important that the organizations she volunteers for are deeply aligned with her own personal values. We are so thrilled the intersection between her values and those of Threads of Life led her to join the volunteer community here. We appreciate the time, energy and heart that Lisa has contributed in the past three years and we look forward to many more years ahead!