December Volunteer of the Month: Karen Hardie, 490 hours of service
Congratulations to Karen Hardie on her selection as the December Volunteer of the Month. With over 490 service hours, Karen is a true asset to our volunteer program. Karen began volunteering in the Sibling Clubhouse in 2009 and soon added the assignment of Music Unit Assistant. Karen shares her musical talents with infant and toddler patients to make them more comfortable and to encourage musical play in their hospital room. “Karen has a keen awareness of the needs of our patients and their families and has requested extended volunteer positions which have filled gaps in our program,” explains Music Therapist Jennifer Yurkovich.
November Volunteer of the Month: Rose Eby, 570 hours of service
Congratulations to Rose Eby on her selection as the November Volunteer of the Month. Rose began volunteering in March 2008. All of her 570 hours of service have been to the C4/A2 NICU infants, families and staff. Rose has a personality that everyone gravitates to. No matter what needs to be done, Rose is willing to help. The volunteers on C4 were among the first to have access to Vocera and Rose uses Vocera to assure the best communication with staff and care of the patients. “Rose always has a positive attitude and has a smile on her face,” says Karen Clark, RN.
October Volunteer of the Month: Sarah LeRoy, 205 hours of service
Congratulations to Sarah LeRoy on her selection as the October Volunteer of the Month. Sarah has been volunteering at the Information Desk (first the Tower and now the Welcome Station) since October 2010 and has over 205 hours of service. When the Information Desk staff and volunteers implemented the health screen procedures, Sarah handled the new task with ease, even when she was helping several family members at once. A senior at Hilliard Darby High School, Sarah has a calming demeanor which helps ease the fears of children who wanted nothing to do with the thermometer. “Sarah’s customer service at the Information Desk is exemplary, whether it is via telephone calls or in face-to-face customer interactions,” explains Patient Relations Manager Jeanette Thomas.
September Volunteer of the Month: Ian Stewart, 550 hours of service
Congratulations to Ian Stewart on his selection as the September Volunteer of the Month.
Ian has been a volunteer since May 2009, when he was a sophomore in high school. Now in his second year of college, he has more than 550 hours of service. Currently, Ian is helping in the Family and Volunteer Services office where he has become part of the team. “We save jobs for Ian because we know they will be completed with his usual attention enthusiasm and attention to details,” says Volunteer Program Coordinator Laura Crisp.
August Volunteer of the Month: Octavia Anderson, 140 hours of service
Congratulations to Octavia Anderson on her selection as the August Volunteer of the Month. Octavia has been volunteering in the Clubhouse since May 2011 and has contributed more than 140 hours of service. Octavia helps each child find their niche in the Clubhouse and she participates enthusiastically in whatever suits each child. Octavia also finds ways to include learning and growing experiences into play situations, further enriching the children’s stay. “I have seen many situations where a child came into the Clubhouse feeling shy or ill at ease and Octavia brought them out of their shell, making them feel comfortable and completely distracted by the fun time they were having,” says Lisa Bendler, a sibling liaison.
July Volunteer of the Month: Hana Bieliauskas, 200 hours of service
Congratulations to Hana Bieliauskas on her selection as the July Volunteer of the Month. Hana has been volunteering since September 2009, first on 4T and now on H5. She has nearly 200 hours of service. Hana is willing to do any task required of her. During the transition to the new hospital, she helped deliver Admitting Gifts to the patients on H5. Whether it’s in the playroom or doing one-on-one activities at the bedside, Hana has a wonderful ability to adapt to the needs of the patient. “Hana is very aware of the individual needs of patients, and has a natural comfort working with hospitalized children,” explains Amy LeRoy, a child life specialist.
June Volunteer: Dan Roseler, 350 hours of service
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ongratulations to Dan Roseler on his selection as the June Volunteer of the Month. As a volunteer on the sixth floor since April 2006, Dan has contributed 350 hours of service. Dan’s eight service stars represent how much he positively impacts the staff and patients on the unit. Dan is willing to complete any task asked of him and you can often find him doing the never ending task of cleaning dirty toys. “Dan makes sure the huge amounts of dirty toys are properly cleaned and returned to their labeled locations,” explains Arleen Tripp, a child life specialist on the sixth floor.
May Volunteer: Lorie Krieger, 520 hours of service
Congratulations to Lorie Krieger on her selection as the May Volunteer of the Month. Lorie began volunteering in October 2008 and all of her 520 hours of service have been on the C4/A2 NICU. Lorie shows independence and motivation as a volunteer, always looking for ways to be helpful on the unit. Last year on Labor Day, Lorie volunteered her time holding a fussy baby that would not calm down. Lorie held the baby for 4 hours that day. “I can’t explain how much the nurses appreciate that kind of commitment. The baby had been up all night and was very tired. This was so over and above,” explains Kelly Kennedy, RN.
April Volunteer: Denny Mardas, 700 Hours of Service
Congratulations to Denny Mardas on his selection as the April Volunteer of the Month. As a J5 Hematology/Oncology unit volunteer since April 2008, Denny has contributed nearly 700 hours of service. He takes time to learn patients and families by name and takes an interest in their hobbies. Denny is comfortable working with patients of all ages, but seems to connect especially well with adolescents. On the unit, you will often find Denny playing a card game with patients. He is a master of card games and takes time to teach patients different games. Patients brag when they beat Denny at a card game and are proud of their accomplishment. “Denny has built a therapeutic relationship with patients and families throughout his time on J5. He does a great job of communicating with staff on the unit and in Family and Volunteer Services,” explains Megan Hall, a Child Life Specialist on J5.
March Volunteer: Bill Hummer, 350 Hours of Service
Congratulations to Bill Hummer on his selection as the March Volunteer of the Month! Bill has volunteered on the sixth floor since April 2009 and has contributed 350 hours of service. Bill volunteers on Friday evenings and has connected with the emergency department and unit staff and has consistently been a dedicated volunteer. Even after a recent knee surgery, Bill only took a week off from volunteering. “Bill is great with the infant population. He is like a grandfather to these children and you can just see the love and care that he has for them when he holds them in his arms,” says Megan Buckley, a nurse on 6T. “Bill is so helpful especially when we have little ones on the unit with no parents.”
February Volunteer: Sarah Weiskittel, 90 hours of service
Sarah leads the Buckeye Tutor Team, a group of Ohio State students who volunteer tutoring patients on J5, H5, 4AE, and 6AE. Sarah has been volunteering since October 2009 and has 80 service hours. As a member of a group she rotates with other members coming in to tutor students. Sarah is responsible for more than just tutoring patients and for the last two years has served as the Service Coordinator for the OSU pre-med honorary fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Delta. Sarah coordinates the group of Buckeye Tutors each school year—recruiting and sending applications to those who are interested, forwarding orientation and training information, and even providing transportation for other students! During the year, she maintains the weekly volunteer schedule, which is no easy task. “Without Sarah directing and coordinating the tutors, the program would not be as successful or manageable. Having someone as invested in our patients and the success of the program as Sarah is has enabled it to grow and prosper,” explains Tifanie Rose, a Columbus Public School teacher. Sarah and the Buckeye Tutor Team have assisted over 100 patients with completing school work. Congratulations to Sarah!
January Volunteer, Kelly Davids, 530 hours of service
Congratulations to Kelly Davids on her selection as the January Volunteer of the Month! “Kelly is a wonderful volunteer who has shown years of commitment to the sixth floor,” say Arleen Tripp, Child Life Specialist. Kelly started volunteering in 2006 and has a total of 530 service hours, all of it on the sixth floor. She is able to quickly adapt to situations such as changing her conversations to reflect the current needs of the families. For example, she was sent to visit a patient who was all alone, but by the time she arrived, the family had returned. Rather than walk away, she offered the family available unit resources such as toys and movies. Kelly has even gotten her family involved. Her father recently started making and donating wooden items for the children to paint.
