Hospital volunteers honored
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on April 12, 2015 1:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Outstanding volunteers at Wayne Memorial Hospital were honored at the annual recognition lunch on Wednesday. From left are Jimmy Howell and Anne Rich, special recognition awards for new volunteers; Vivian Dail, volunteer of the year; and Linda Strickland, recipient of the Rose Christian Koch Award. Absent was Deadra Mitchell, also a recipient of a special award.
Peg Cary was a nurse in Philadelphia for 45 years before becoming a hospital volunteer.
"I've always volunteered at a hospital," she says. "My late husband was in the Marine Corps and wherever we were stationed, I would volunteer."
She simply enjoys helping patients, she says, just one reason why she signed up to help at Wayne Memorial Hospital two years ago.
Other retirees have also responded to the call.
Walter Fennell, now 90, proudly displayed his 15-year pin for having donated more than 3,200 hours of service, while wife, Emma Fennell, has logged over 4,400 hours.
Mrs. Fennell and Judy Moye, another 15-year veteran, were both assigned to day surgery, although on different days.
"I come on Monday, she's on Tuesday. I never see her," Mrs. Moye said with a laugh.
Esther Markham is considered an "emeritus volunteer," an illustrious group with 5,000 hours or 10 years of service.
It would be difficult to put a price on the unpaid workers, considered "A Vital Piece of the Puzzle," the theme for this year's volunteer recognition event for the hospital, Donna Archer, director of volunteer services, said.
"When you open up the box of a jigsaw puzzle, it's sort of a jumbled mess," she said. "Sometimes you wonder if it's even worth the challenge."
Like those puzzle pieces, she said, volunteers come in different shapes and sizes, each piece carrying an identity and each being extremely valuable.
"All of the pieces bring something unique. All of the pieces are meaningful and they fit in somewhere," she said. "If a piece is missing, it wouldn't be as whole, it wouldn't be as pretty and it certainly wouldn't be as strong."
Volunteers contribute uniquely to the success of the hospital, Mrs. Archer said -- from bringing water or a warm blanket, delivering a flower or a greeting card, or simply handing patients something to read while they're waiting for a test.
From her vantage point, she said she gets to see "the brighter side of humanity" through the service of those volunteers. The year 2014 brought many new faces that made the program even stronger, she said.
"We had 13,787 hours (of volunteer service) last year and that's a huge accomplishment, a 600-hour improvement over the past year," she said. "That's a lot of people and a lot of hours."
The annual luncheon, at Lane Tree Golf Club, included the recognition of several outstanding volunteers.
Three service awards were also announced, with five recipients named.
"On average, we have about five people nominated for service awards. This year we had 19. For the first time, we have three recipients of the special recognition award," Mrs. Archer said, explaining the special recognition award is for volunteers who joined the program in the previous year and made a noticeable contribution.
Deadra Mitchell joined the program in Oct. 2013, after spending 34 years as an employee in the hospital's cardio pulmonary department. She volunteered 348 hours in cardiac rehab and the diabetes clinic.
Jimmy Howell started in May 2014 and in less than a year amassed 395 hours in the program, driving the courtesy car through the hospital parking lot, Mrs. Archer said.
"When not working on his brother's farm, he's shuttling guests back and forth," she said. "Our guests are grateful to have him."
Anne Rich joined the program in October 2013, also having previously worked at the hospital, as a staff nurse for 21 years. In the time since, she has contributed 755 hours of service, Mrs. Archer said.
"She's that volunteer that brings a warm blanket and gingerale to patients after having day surgery," she said.
The Rosa Christian Koch Award, for the volunteer who exemplifies outstanding customer service skills, went to Linda Strickland, who started in the program in September 2013 after working at the hospital for 12 years.
"There's a little bit of a pattern this year," Mrs. Archer said of the former employees who returned in a volunteer capacity. "She worked in the staff development department and has already accumulated 563 hours."
Volunteer of the Year was Vivian Dail, assigned to the newborn nursery and on the seventh floor. Since August 2007, she has contributed, 3,272 hours of service.
"She's one of those people that likes to stay busy," Mrs. Archer said, reading the list of accolades from the nomination form. "She doesn't seek attention. She always comes in with a smile on her face and begins working right a way. She works hard from the minute she comes in until the time she leaves."
Each recipient received an engraved clock, symbolic of the importance of the time they had devoted to the program.
Mrs. Dail also received a pin, a plaque and will have her name engraved on a plaque permanently placed in the volunteer services office.
Five people were honored for going "way above and beyond" with 400 or more hours of service during 2014. Those included Sandra Ingram (400), Ms. Dail (433), Ms. Strickland (442), Ms. Rich (554) and Alice Farmer (610).