Annual Volunteer Awards Banquet

Transcription

1 MAY 2011 ISSUE Annual Volunteer Awards Banquet Can you name the clowns these 12 funny, crazy shoes belong to? your answer to and the first person with the correct answer will receive a $25 gift certificate to the gift shop! 2010 Clown of the Year - Magic City Clown School Instructors Distinguished Service Awards Dorotheda Grey & Sharleta Stamps 1

2 Volunteer of the Year Auxiliary Scholarship Winner Volunteer with Most Hours Marychris Corbally Laura Silliman (parents) Ruth Montgomery Department of the Year PACU & Pulmonary Program 2

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4 Left: Craig Tankersley volunteers his time in The Zone, an activity room at Children s Hospital, every Tuesday night. Right: Lisa Hapgood sits with kids in the hospital on Parents Night Out to give the patients and their parents a change of scenery. Helping Kids Be Kids COURTESY: SEETHEGOOD.COM POSTED MAY 9, 2011 CRAIG TANKERSLEY gets creamed every Tuesday night in one-on-one video games. Annihilated, in fact. Every child who comes in here can beat me at anything on the Wii, he says. If nothing else, the kids feel good when they leave, because they just beat an adult at Guitar Hero. Good feelings can be rare for the majority of the kids at Children s Hospital in Birmingham, Ala. Some patients have checked in for long-term stays. Others short. But all are looking for a distraction. And The Zone, a 5 th floor activity room full of games, arts and crafts, a foosball table, and a big flat screen TV with an attached Wii, temporarily takes their minds off their situations. Craig helps do that as well. Once a week, he volunteers his good-natured smile, crafty sensibility, mediocre gaming skills, and companionship to kids who enter The Zone. It gives them some time away from the typical hospital experience, says Craig. Whether you re a clown or rocking babies in the infant room, your main goal is to take the patient s mind off why they re there, you try to give some normalcy in an often scary environment. This is his third year lending his time and energy to Children s, and he joins around 600 other current volunteers at the hospital. The Children s Hospital Volunteer Services Program is just one of the hospital s numerous programs supported by charitable contributions. This week, in fact, the Regions Tradition golf tournament has tapped the hospital as its primary beneficiary, extending the bank s commitment to give back to its community. Just Being There 4

5 The patient s privacy, of course, is a major issue, and that s hammered home during orientation. We don t need to ask about or know about why they re in the hospital, says Craig. That s not our role as volunteers. There are medical professionals taking care of that part. We just want to help the kids be kids for awhile. In The Zone, for example, Craig just keeps all his interactions on a first-name basis. But sometimes, names aren t even exchanged. Lisa Hapgood, an eight-year veteran in the volunteer program, works with babies and young children. She participates in the Parents Night Out program by babysitting essentially hanging out with a child for an hour or so. It gets the parents out of the room, and it gives the child a change of scenery, she says. In her experience, she has seen great pain. She once sat with a baby who had been badly burned in a car accident. All I could do was stand there and hold his hand, she says. I was just there for him. But she likes to share her happy stories, too. She was with a child in recovery who was a huge Star Wars fanatic. He spent 45 minutes telling me about the characters and weapons, she says. I was a blank canvas for him to explain things to. Lisa believes her first job as a volunteer is simply to be present. It doesn t take much to make a huge difference, she says. And you get so much more back. CRAIG AND LISA are both Regions associates In the Spotlight! Still the best Kiwanis Club in the world! Fun Night at Children's Harbor sponsored by The Homewood & Mountain Brook Kiwanis Club during April. Over 110 patients, parents and guests attended. Thanks for an outstanding job! 5

6 Parents Night Out Our own Children's Hospital Auxiliary served as the sponsors for April. Jennifer Deneke received a Giant Easter Basket that was made and donated by Mary Anne Glazner (Smith Variety in Mountain Brook). A lucky child in Children's Hospital definitely enjoyed the Easter gift. Thanks Mary Anne. The basket is beautiful. What an awesome performance by the Junior League Choral Group in the Children s Hospital lobby. 6

7 A big thanks to the Samford University sorority that participated in a wagon wash during April. Junior League Volunteers with their new art cart going to Fun Night at the Harbor. Cornerstone Christian School March Fun Night sponsors Fifty-three patients and family participated in the Fun Night during March. Twelve volunteers helped with all the fun activities. A dozen pizzas were passed out to guests and all bingo prizes were given away. Sponsors, Cornerstone Christian School in Columbiana, Alabama, brought 15 great volunteers. They served pizza, called the bingo game, danced and sang with the Karaoke group and had their faces painted. 7

8 Rebecca Bender (former Patient) is shown donating a wagon to Children's Hospital that she painted herself for all the kids to use while in the hospital. What a great job! Thanks Rebecca. The Director of Volunteer Services and her family ready to party for a good cause! They went to an American Diabetes Assocation fundraiser. The theme - Come as your favorite decade. New Additions to the Volunteer Services Family Congratulations Kim Crane and Kathleen Thompson Kim Crane's new granddaughter. 8

9 Gift Shop Manager and new grandmother Kathleen Thompson shows three new ladies in her life. Remember to sign out at the end of your volunteer service Please remember to sign out at the end of your volunteer service. We hope this never happens, but the sign in screen is how we would account for volunteers in the building and their location if a disaster happened. So not only is the Volgistics system keeping the official record of your hours as a volunteer, it serves many other purposes. Helping us in various reporting needs for departments, agencies and the federal government, knowing who is in the building and serving as the database for our end of year reporting are other uses of the database. We are also starting a new policy, if you forget or don t sign out you will only receive one hour of service credit. So please help us keep accurate records. MARK YOUR CALENDARS! May Parent s Night Out, 6pm, Bradley Lecture Center 16 Volunteer Information Meeting 23 Auxiliary Fun Night at the Harbor, 6pm, Children s Harbor June Parent s Night Out, 6pm, Bradley Lecture Center 14 Dinner and a Movie, 5:45pm 21 Volunteer Orientation 27 Auxiliary Fun Night at the Harbor, 6pm, Children s Harbor 9 Volunteer Voice is a publication for volunteers of Children s Health System. To submit a story or story idea: Call: Fax: Howard.Holmes@chsys.org Lisa.Howard@chsys.org th Avenue South Birmingham, Alabama DEPARTMENT PHONE DIRECTORY Department Director Volunteer Services Office Gift Shop Patient Information