Volunteer talent at Carle Health is as diverse as the patients they support. Whether providing building directions, greeting visitors, singing a song, lending an ear, or even arriving at the hospital with a loyal four-legged friend, volunteers bring energy to support patients on their journeys.
“With more than 2,100 volunteers serving across Carle Health, we express our sincere gratitude. Volunteers come to us with diverse backgrounds and experiences that help us attain our mission of being a trusted healthcare partner in the communities we serve. During National Volunteer Week, April 20-26, we can’t thank them enough for investing in Carle Health with their generous gifts of time and talent,” Eric Toliver, director, Auxiliary and Volunteer Services, said.
There are volunteer elements in almost every phase of the care continuum, and they all contribute in impactful ways.
At Carle Richland Memorial Hospital, Laura Lathrop combined her love for reading and her creative nature to attract customers to book purchases at the hospital gift shop.
Called “Blind Date with a Book,” the idea is to attract visitors to the shop with a bit of mystery. Gently used books wrapped in clues about the story inside sell for $5 each. They are also part of a decorative display with word clues about what the reader will find inside.
“I cannot speak highly enough of her creativity,” Heather Baker, coordinator, Carle Richland Memorial Hospital Auxiliary and Volunteer Services, said.
One book, set in England had an English tea party theme with a book wrapping containing a lady’s handkerchief and a dry pack of tea. The themed book sales are popular and all money collected from the shop goes back to the hospital through Carle Health Center for Philanthropy.
“It brings people in and it’s fun,” Lathrop said.
At Carle BroMenn Medical Center, volunteer Darla Glover is a witness to the healing
aspects of music. Trained as an opera singer at Bradley University, the University of Illinois Urbana and King’s College at the Royal Academy of Music in England, Glover sings for patients.
Her repertoire is not limited to opera. She fills requests ranging from artists such as Patsy Kline’s country to Ozzy Osborn’s heavy metal. She can even sing in some patient’s native language, which so far includes Spanish and Italian.
“Some people want two minutes and others want hours,” Glover said. “God gave me this gift of acclimating to the situation.”
Sue Sebring, manager, Volunteer Services, Carle BroMenn Medical Center, said, “I see the difference she is making. We are so fortunate to have her beautiful voice here supporting patients, their families and hospital staff.
At Carle Cancer Institute Urbana, sparkly is the best way to describe volunteer Dee Slack.
From her red shiny sneakers to the sparkle in her eye, she brings an effervescence to the second floor of the institute every Thursday morning to chat with willing patients undergoing infusions.
She may sometimes break out in a little song to engage patients. “For five minutes, if they don’t have to think about cancer, that is why I am here.”
A cancer survivor herself, Slack said, “I do it for them. Just because you are having treatment doesn’t mean you cannot have brightness in your day. I would be there every day if I could.”
Mercedes Mayernick, RN, said, “She is like a ray of sunshine when she volunteers on Thursdays. We call it Thurs-Dee.”
“If she is not here, the patients ask about her. All the patients know her. She genuinely cares about the patients and she is a very special person,” Mayernick said.
At Carle Health Pekin Hospital and Carle Health Proctor Hospital, patients get to know a local celebrity, Marcus the Goldendoodle. The certified therapy dog and his owner, Jeff Barrett, are regular visitors as volunteers.
Barrett said Marcus is as tall as a Great Dane and weighs 90 pounds. Unlike the conventional dog/mail carrier conflict, Marcus is appreciated so much by mail carriers in Pekin that the carriers invite him to the annual trunk-or-treat event at the U.S. Post Office.
“It’s been a lot of fun. Everybody has been so welcoming. He’s a fan favorite,” Barrett said.
Connie Gee, coordinator, Volunteer Services at Carle Health Proctor Hospital, said the therapy dog is a welcome relief to the stress of those waiting for loved ones in surgery, undergoing diagnostic tests or receiving care in the emergency room. Employees are some of the most enthusiastic about visits, she said.
Patients at the Addiction Recovery Center at Carle Health Proctor Hospital also enjoy Marcus. “These are individuals away from home and maybe missing their own pets while working on recovery, so seeing a friendly dog is welcomed,” Gee said.
Carle Health welcomes any community member willing to donate their time to help those in need have the best possible experience during what often is a difficult time. There is always a way to get involved and more volunteers are needed in almost all areas of the hospitals. Individuals interested in becoming a volunteer can learn more about each Carle Health location by going to Carle.org/volunteering, or email Volunteer.Services@carle.com.
Categories: Culture of Quality, Community
Tags: Carle BroMenn Medical Center, Carle Cancer Institute, Carle Richland Memorial Hospital, Pekin, Peoria, Proctor, volunteers