Vi Schriever: Walking for a Cure, Driving Hope at Home
Road To Home
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A Survivor with a Mission
Vi Schriever isn’t just walking for a cure—she’s walking for names, for memories, for friends and family. And she’s been doing it for eight years.
This October, she joined more than 2,700 people in Edmonton for the CIBC Run for the Cure, carrying a white T-shirt lettered front and back with names of those she walks for.
“Too many lost,” Vi said quietly. “It is for them that I’m doing this. Family and friends—too many.”
Vi is a breast cancer survivor herself, having faced her diagnosis more than 21 years ago. But her experience became more than a personal story—it became a mission to make things better for others walking a similar path.
Leading by Example
After treatment, Vi didn’t step back—she stepped forward. She became a facilitator for the Barrhead Cancer Support Group, offering understanding, reassurance, and shared experience to others navigating cancer.
She also volunteers every Thursday at the Barrhead Cancer Care Unit—the same place she once received chemotherapy.
“Thank goodness we have that here,” she said. “This is where I had my chemo.”
Her care doesn’t stop at the hospital doors.
Road to Home: Compassion in Motion
For the past several years, Vi has coordinated the Road to Home Program—a volunteer-run transportation service that helps cancer patients get to treatment appointments in Barrhead and Edmonton.
“When you’re told you have cancer and have to undergo treatments and doctor appointments, it’s overwhelming, to say the least. I know this firsthand,” Violet shared in a statement for Alberta Health Services.
“I constantly get feedback from the patients saying that having this program and such caring drivers means so much, and it lessens their anxiety.”
Funded through community donations and built on goodwill, Road to Home serves patients from Barrhead, Fort Assiniboine, Rich Valley, Westlock, Slave Lake, Whitecourt, Sangudo, Mayerthorpe, Alberta Beach, and Onoway—wherever volunteer drivers are able to assist.
One Voice, Many Lives Touched
Vi’s story is one of resilience, but more importantly, it’s a story of action. She’s proof that one person’s effort can ripple outward to touch hundreds of lives—with every name on that T-shirt, every ride arranged, and every Thursday afternoon spent giving back.
“The community here is pretty awesome,” Vi said. “When the chips are down, they lift you up.”
And we’d add—sometimes, they do it walking beside you.
Thank You Vi!
From all of us at the Barrhead Healthcare Centre Auxiliary—thank you, Vi, for your strength, compassion, and leadership. You’ve changed the landscape of cancer care in Barrhead and beyond.
If you’d like to support programs like Road to Home, or become a volunteer, visit our Get Involved page.
