Medi Hospice Fredericksburg & Northern Virginia Blog is designed to educate and inform the public about hospice options and services. Our Hospice serves the many cities and counties within the State of Virginia.

This Blog is dedicated to our wonderful hospice volunteers who contribute countless hours for free to make a difference in the lives of terminally ill patients.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

April 2012 is National Volunteer Appreciation Month!

WHAT IS NATIONAL VOLUNTEER MONTH? 
April is Volunteer Appreciation Month, a time to recognize the ordinary people who accomplish extraordinary things through service.
Celebrating People in Action captures the meaning of this signature month: Honoring the people who dedicate themselves to taking action by caring for others in their communities. 


Established in 1974 by former President, Richard Nixon, National Volunteer Week has grown exponentially in scope each year since, drawing the support and endorsement of all subsequent U.S. presidents, governors, mayors and other respected elected officials. The entire month of April has now been designated as Volunteer Appreciation Month, a time set aside to honor those who give of their time and energy to serve a greater cause. 


Hospice volunteers are very unique individuals who have a deep sense of compassion for those who are terminally ill. They give selflessly to our patients. 
They hold a hand that is in need of gentle touch. 
They read a book that tired eyes cannot see. 
They sit at the bedside bringing a smile and a quiet presence to one who needs both.
 When there is soup to heat the volunteer prepares; 
when there is fresh air to breath the volunteer escorts the patient to the window or porch; 
when the day calls for a joke or poem the hospice volunteer complies. 


They are flexible, punctual, reliable and intuitive.


They give from their heart, willingly, openly, without restraint.


HOSPICE VOLUNTEERS ARE WONDERFUL, GIVING PEOPLE!


AND WE APPRECIATE THEIR GRACIOUSNESS AND LOVE!! 




Hospice volunteers come from many backgrounds and have a range of life experiences.  They are male, female, young, old, business people, retail clerks, truck drivers, stay at home moms, retirees and more.
Regardless of their backgrounds, hospice volunteers share the common bonds of being compassionate and caring. And perhaps more than anything else, they want to make a difference that really matters.


If I can stop one heart from breaking;
 I shall not live in vain.
If I can ease one life the aching,
 or cool one pain,
or help one fainting robin onto his nest again;
I shall not live in vain.

-Emily Dickinson


National Volunteer Month is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their community. It’s about demonstrating to the nation that by working together, in unison, we have the fortitude to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals. National Volunteer Month is about taking action, encouraging individuals and their respective communities to be at the center of social change—discovering and actively demonstrating their collective power to foster positive transformation. National Volunteer Month presents an opportunity for individuals, families, nonprofit organizations and government entities alike to celebrate the ordinary people who accomplish extraordinary things through service. 



Hospice and palliative care volunteers work in concert with the rhythms of the season, helping people recall, retell, reflect, remember and celebrate all of the seasons of their lives.



HOW DO I BECOME VOLUNTEER? 


At Medi Home Hospice we are welcoming any compassionate, caring person to become a volunteer! There are many opportunities to volunteer in your community as we have patients throughout north central Virginia. We have opportunities ranging from companionship care to musical ministry to pet therapy, to office support and bereavement support.

If you have any questions or are interested in becoming a hospice volunteer, please call
Karen Robinson, Hospice Volunteer Coordinator
at 540-361-7696
or email kerobinson@msa-corp.com


WE WANT TO THANK ALL OUR DEDICATED HOSPICE VOLUNTEERS!
YOU ARE PRECIOUS PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE DAY BY DAY!