In Touch with You Blog

Last week the Hospital honored our Volunteers by hosting a great luncheon and program at the Candlelight Pavilion. I was honored to attend, as my husband has been a Volunteer (he drives the shuttle) for over a year now. I’ve always been lucky to have wonderful Volunteers help me out at events and for special projects – so I know how valuable they are!

I learned that over 900 Volunteers donated over 91,000 hours to the Hospital in 2011! Can you believe that??? Some other fun facts I learned: 20,000 newspapers were delivered to patients last year by Volunteers; our Junior Volunteers helped patients with 17,000 meal selection cards; and that same number of Volunteers have served over 25 years and have over 10,000 hours! What dedication is shown by these giving people on a daily basis!

Volunteers are such a HUGE support to the Hospital and the patients we serve. Everything from driving the shuttle, to manning (or woman-ing) the gift shop, to working on the patient floors, taking the hospitality cart around for patients and families, holding and rocking newborn babies, doing dismissals, helping out at special events and offering a smile to those who desperately need one are just a few of the ways they contribute. Our Volunteers’ ongoing dedication is just amazing.

Every year the Auxiliary (made up of Volunteers) also donates $100,000 to the Hospital! The majority of these funds come from proceeds from the Tender Touch Gift Shop. The rest of the donation comes from various fundraising they do throughout the year (Holiday Homes, bake sales, etc). So in addition to the hours they donate, the hospital also benefits financially from the generosity of our Volunteers!