“I have always wanted to help people.”

Owin Perumpulli Arachchige isn’t your ordinary teenager.

In 2023, when he was just 14 years old, he began volunteering at the Houses of Providence. Friday evening socials, helping out at meal times, taking residents for walks to Tim Hortons. Owin is now 16, and he has become a favourite of Providence residents. They say he is gentle, fun and funny. For those residents who don’t have many visitors or family members, Owin helps alleviate their feelings of loneliness. According to Owin, though, he is getting as much out of his visits as they are.

“I have always wanted to help people. Even when I was too young to volunteer, I knew that was what I needed to be doing. So I was really glad when I got the chance to help out at Providence. It feels great to make someone’s day just a little better.”

And making days better is just what Owin does. He frequently plays cards and word games with residents, and makes sure to escort them to and from the games. The card game Uno became so popular after he introduced it that they created an Uno Night one Friday each month, and it is one of the most popular events at Houses of Providence.

“Things like Uno night are fun for people, but I think they also create a real sense of community,” says Owin. “And community is something we all need. When I’m there, I feel a part of that community as well.”

Owin spends as much time as he can at the Houses of Providence. Two or three hours every Friday after school, and seven or eight hours a day, both Saturday and Sunday. He takes the bus to get there, and it’s a one-hour ride, each way. It’s a level of commitment that amazes residents and staff, and it was recently rewarded when Owin received a Providence Healthcare Shared Values Award for embracing “diversity, trust, joy and teamwork to fulfil human potential.”

Owin is committed to volunteering at the Houses of Providence for as long as he can. But life has big plans for him. A future doctor in the making, Owin dreams of becoming a family physician. Though he’s only in Grade 11, he’s already taking Grade 12 courses—balancing school, volunteering, and an accelerated path to university.

Owin isn’t your ordinary teenager. He’s extraordinary.

Photo Credit: Katie Cooper