Houston Healthcare Honors Volunteers

Houston Healthcare’s Volunteers Make a Difference

Houston Healthcare recently recognized the volunteers that serve through the Auxiliaries of Houston Medical Center and Perry Hospital for their efforts and hours of service with a special awards luncheon as part of National Volunteer Week, which was April 18-24.

More than 200 adults and young people in Houston County give thousands of hours of their free time annually to serve the patients and staff of Houston Healthcare as volunteers through the Auxiliaries. They work in almost every area of the hospitals, performing any number of tasks from working the information desk to filing records, operating the gift shops and delivering mail to patient rooms. The year 2010 marks special anniversaries for both Auxiliaries—the Houston Medical Center Auxiliary will celebrate its 50th year while Perry Hospital’s Auxiliary will celebrate its 40th year of service.

National Volunteer Week celebrates “people in action” to honor the individuals who dedicate themselves to taking action and solving problems in the communities they serve. According to Melissa Turrell, Director of Administrative and Volunteer Services for Houston Healthcare, the actions of the Auxiliary members truly make a difference in the lives of the patients and staff of Houston Healthcare every day. “All combined, our volunteers spent more than 30,000 hours in our facilities in 2009, resulting in a labor savings of approximately $384,000 for the hospitals,” explained Turrell.

In addition to the hours they serve, the Auxiliaries make frequent donations to Houston Healthcare as well as other charitable organizations using money they raise through sales in their gift shops and other activities. Some of their previous donations have included renovations of the ICU Waiting Room at Perry Hospital and the Family Waiting Room at Houston Medical Center, donations to the Houston County Volunteer Medical Clinic, pediatric resuscitation kits for Houston Healthcare’s ambulances, and new patient wheelchairs.

Those volunteers who reached milestones in their hours served for 2009 included:

At Perry Hospital:

100 hours: Rhonda Deese, Brenda Kay Jarrett, Peggy King, Shirley Simone, and Diane Summers

300 hours: Leslie Pasquini, Ricky Potenziani, Doshia Scarborough, and Betty Vandal

500 hours: Ann Joiner

1,000 hours: Faye Everett, Rosemary Potenziani, and June Potts

2,500 hours: Karen Griffin and Heather Reed

3,500 hours: Dorothy Green

At Houston Medical Center:

500 hours: Thaina Brown-Brake, Charles Bridges, Carolyn Chalker, Hong Chang, Angela Collier, Pat David, Jay Hamilton, Pat Hezel, Jewel Jerdon, Joe Ann Kanaly, Debbie Nuclo, Jean Sheridan, Shirley Stewart, and George West

1,000 hours: Jo Aldridge, Margaret Duffey, Dorothy Ferrell, Alyce Parker, Rosemary Potenziani, Joyce Savage, and Billy Trussell

1,500 hours: Waneita Carroll, Ladosca Crowder, Bill Parker, George Smith and Tina Sullivan

2,000 hours: Verna Koss and Karen LaBalle

2,500 hours: Ann Branch and Doris Holt

3,000 hours: Alice Brantley, Lorraine Moore, Annie Rudd, and Lena Trussell

3,500 hours: Barbara Bergman, Juanita Graham, Tobbie Jones, and Mary Sampson

4,000 hours: Peggy Campbell and Gerald Jackson

4,500 hours: Sue Burgess, J.W. Cochran, Runelle Gordy, Justine Nolen, and Elizabeth Walden

5,000 hours: Mary Gainous

6,000 hours: Ed Gregory, Mary Guyer, Flo Hawkins, and Virginia Jones

7,000 hours: Betty Hall

7,500 hours: Winona Smith

8,000 hours: Donna Compher

8,500 hours: Jerry Cochran

9,500 hours: Jim Burns

11,000 hours: Bernie Compher

11,500 hours: Louise Mullis

13,500 hours: Elouise Gibson

14,000 hours: Ruth Jernigan

For more information on becoming a volunteer for Houston Healthcare, call (478) 542-7753.