Coate was recently elected to the position of president of the auxiliary to OTMH for a two-year term. He succeeds Joean Meyer.

Coate began volunteering in patient transport service at OTMH in 2003.

He was elected to the Auxiliary's board as vice president in 2006 and has since served on a number of auxiliary committees including nominations, bylaws, and more recently, finance.

A corporate lawyer by profession, Coate brings years of business experience to his new position.

He was the vice president, director, secretary and general counsel for Union Carbide for more than 30 years.

Prior to retiring in 2003, Coate worked as a consultant to Dow Chemical.

Always involved in the community, Coate has served on the board of the Oakville Arts Council as well as the Lakeside Residents' Association and on the St. Jude's Parish Council. He also volunteered as a driver for the Wellspring Cancer Care Centre.

"Volunteering is all about service to others and giving back to the community. I really enjoy reaching out and engaging people in a friendly exchange," said Coate.

"In addition, to the personal sense of contribution to a greater good, you often get a smile or gesture of gratitude -- and that's the best payback ever."

"As I look around our hospital I see an extraordinary volunteer force at OTMH who give new meaning to the word 'goodwill.' These dedicated men, women and youth work diligently to ease and improve our patients' hospital experience and to enhance the quality of care OTMH can provide," said Coate.

"However, the majority of our adult volunteers are seniors -- well over 65. We need to attract people in their 30s, 40s and 50s who can step in, take on key executive positions and lead us into the future. We need their ideas, energy and expertise."

"Our youth volunteers at OTMH are most impressive -- very eager to learn and remarkably capable. We have to find a way to bring these young people back as volunteers once they're in the workforce," said Coate.

"One of my goals is to develop a comprehensive marketing and recruitment strategy to address our current shortage of volunteers and to attract younger adults who can help the auxiliary grow with the needs of our community."

"The auxiliary helped build OTMH and to date has contributed well over $5 million," said Coate.

"Now with the New Oakville hospital on the horizon, we have a new challenge. I believe we must develop a closer working relationship with the Oakville Hospital Foundation so we can streamline our efforts in the community. Building a new hospital is an incredible opportunity, but a huge undertaking -- one in which the Auxiliary will continue to play a key role," Coate added.

"Doug's friendly, helpful nature, business experience and relaxed leadership style will serve him well in his position as president of the Auxiliary to OTMH," said Carole Daniels, volunteer services manager at HHS.

"The OTMH Auxiliary and HHS will benefit from Doug's previous career as a solicitor and his volunteer experience with many other associations. We are fortunate to have someone with his dedication and experience leading the auxiliary board," said Daniels.

For more information on volunteer opportunities at OTMH, call the volunteer office at 905-338-4643 or visit www.haltonhealthcare.com.