Kindness comes in many forms, but always…
From the Heart
Fall 2014
The Volunteer Program Newsletter of
Grace and Comfort Hospices
In Every Issue:
If the only prayer you say is “Thank you”, will be enough. that – Eckhart Tolle Glimpses of Comfort
and Grace:
Program Updates and
Highlights
Heart to Heart: Special
Program Stories
Making a Difference:
Inspirational Stories
D.O.V.E.
(Defining Our
Volunteer Excellence):
Best in Class Volunteer
Programs
ENJOY!!
A note from the Editors…
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we wanted to take a moment and say how
THANKFUL we are for our team of hundreds of volunteers that make a
difference every day throughout our organization. It is said that a simple act
of kindness can change the course of a lifetime. Well, no one embodies that
more than our own volunteers. They add so much value to the lives of our
patients, their caregivers, and even the lives of our staff members through
those acts of kindness. On behalf of our entire organization, we say THANK YOU to our volunteers.
Jessica DenHartigh & Chris Kokenos
_____________________________________________________________________________________ Glimpses of…
Comfort & Grace
Veteran’s Day
Did you know that of all the Americans who will die this year, one in four is a veteran? As the nation
honored these American heroes for their military service on Veterans Day, November 11, we recognized
that they also deserve recognition and compassionate care when dealing with a serious or life-limiting
illness. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, in collaboration with the Department of
Veterans Affairs, created “We Honor Veterans” to empower hospice partners across America to meet the
unique needs of seriously ill Veterans and their families. Grace/Comfort Hospice has adopted much of the
We Honor Veterans volunteer program component within our own Veteran to Veteran Volunteer Program.
Our Veteran to Veteran Volunteer Program allows us to address the psychological toll of war and how it
impacts the end-of-life journey with these Veterans who are served by Grace/Comfort Hospice. We have
highlighted one special story of this end-of-life journey in this edition of our newsletter. Please take a
moment to read it, and learn more about this valuable program.
Welcome New Volunteer Coordinators!
We would like to welcome the new Volunteer Coordinators that have joined our team since the last
edition of our newsletter. Please help us welcome:
•
•
•
•
Heather Fronrath – Flint, MI
Annette Freese – South Bend, IN
Tom Jones – Milwaukee, WI
Yvonne Cook – Dayton, OH
We are so excited to have them as part of our team! Welcome Aboard!! J
_______________________________________________________________________________
Heart to Heart
Story submitted by Laura Resecker, Volunteer Coordinator in our Akron, OH Grace Hospice office
When volunteer Dan Resecker had a debilitating car wreck in 1998, he was told he may never walk again.
Dan never believed them. “Thoughts are things” he said “and I just wouldn’t think of it.” Through hard work and
diligence, Dan found that he could not only walk, but continue with his normal life on most days. He was not able
to convince his doctor to release him to return to work however, and Dan found himself with a little extra time on
his hands.
On New Year’s Eve in 2000, Dan decided to better utilize some of his free time by volunteering for
Downtown Akron Partnership’s New Year’s Eve Celebration, FIRST NIGHT AKRON. It was then that Dan caught
the volunteering “bug”! Since then Dan has volunteered his musical talents playing his Martin six string and
singing with his Bluegrass Band HAMETOWN for churches, Senior Living facilities, Benefits and Fundraisers. In
2012, he ventured into Grace Hospice volunteering.
Dan’s first patient with Grace was an elderly gentleman who lived alone. Dan would visit “John” on
Tuesdays to make a grocery and shopping list and then Dan would go shopping. Dan said, “I’ve never purchased
underwear for another man before. But I don’t mind for this guy”. On Wednesdays, Dan would return and cook
and prepare meals for John. Then they would have lunch and play cards. When John’s illness finally took him,
Dan decided to volunteer in the office. While Dan volunteers anywhere from 4-8 hours administratively, Office
Manager Debbie Borkowski said “Dan is always asking for more work.”
Currently, Dan meets with a “Merry” on a scheduled basis to watch TV, play cards, and offer general
companionship. She said she really enjoys Dan’s company. When asked why he does it, Dan said “Because I like
the feeling I get in my heart after visiting with a patient…and even doing the office work. That helps the patients,
too”. At the time of this posting, Dan Resecker has given Grace Hospice 507 hours of his free time! Thank you,
Dan, for all of your caring and giving!
A Healing Touch
Story submitted by Renee Freedman, Volunteer Coordinator from our Columbus, OH Grace Hospice office
Joyce Corson has been our Massage Therapist volunteer since December of 2012. She is kind enough to
rearrange her schedule to accommodate any patient who would benefit from a massage. She comforts
patients through her touch therapy, which allows them to obtain an inner calmness and become more
relaxed. These patients desire relief from their anxiety without the use of pharmaceuticals. Some patients
have gained joint flexibility, enabling them to maintain their independence and enjoy a better quality of
life. Joyce is a kind and talented professional, who radiates compassionate care. Her spirit, kind heart and
special skills have made her an indispensable volunteer with our program.
Thank you, Joyce, for the empathy and talents you share with our patients!
_______________________________________________________________________ Making a Difference
Queen for a Day…
Story submitted by Kristin Jensen,
Volunteer Coordinator from our Grand Rapids, MI Grace Hospice office
I recently discovered The Small Gift Program through the Hospice Education Institute. You can submit a story about a patient and what they want/need, along with a monetary value and such. I spoke with Heather, our volunteer, and we decided that our patient, Jewel, deserved to be pampered for the day! I submitted the request for $75.00 for Jewel to go and get her hair done with her volunteer and within an hour (literally!!) the Hospice Education Institute called and said our wish had been granted! Since Jewel lives in Holland, I immediately searched hair salons we could go to, and found Panopoulos Salon and called. I told them what I was looking to do, and they said they would love to help! They even said they would do more than just her hair, they would do a cut, color and manicure too! I also scheduled a manicure for Heather so it would be a special day for the two of them! Then I realized, how are they going to get there?! Obviously they needed to show up in style, so it was on to find a limo service (that was gracious enough to donate their time and service). After calling 8 limo services, I found the most precious man named Ralph from Grand Rapids Limo who had a heart for hospice and said he would love to donate his time and services! So everything was set up…now Heather and I had to figure out how we were going to get Jewel up at 9:30 in the morning for this surprise! I usually call Jewel on Wednesday mornings at about 9:00 a.m. to give her a morning wake-­‐up call and let her know Heather is on her way. So on Tuesday evening, I called to tell her that I would be joining Heather this week for a follow-­‐up to make sure everything was going well. I told her my schedule was super tight for Wednesday, so we would be at her house around 9:15 (she was not happy to say the least, but she agreed). When we arrived she wanted to know what was really going on since we were both there, so Heather and I shared the news and she was elated!!! Heather told her to hurry because her ride was going to be there in 10 min. Jewel has a 12 year old son and she was so excited she went and woke him up to tell him what we were doing. He wanted to come, so he went and got ready as well. They were so excited when they saw what they were going to be riding in. The limo driver even stocked the car with flavored waters and candy. Jewel’s son Philip, thought that was pretty cool. The best part of the day was when Jewel asked Heather and I if we enjoy making sick people happy. I told her “yes!”, and she said we were good at it! She said she hadn’t been that happy or felt like a woman in a long time, and she could not stop smiling. The girls at the salon even had a corsage for Jewel to wear at the end of the day. It was so sweet! Before and After
Veteran to Veteran…
Story submitted by Volunteer Edward Horsch, CMSgt (retired), and Shelby Duncan, Volunteer Coordinator
from our Cincinnati, OH Grace Hospice office
Volunteering with hospice has brought several people and families into my life. The one common thing I hear is “Thank you”, and my usual response is “No, thank YOU”! I tell people that many times the hospice patients do more for me than I could ever do for them. One gentleman that I volunteered with was named Cliff. Cliff was a World War II vet and he was still as feisty now as he was then. He couldn’t see too well, but he could hear everything. We would try and whisper around him and he would say, “You know I can hear!” Cliff and I talked about many things including the war, weather and about the fact that he didn’t like the food at the nursing home he was in. He told me great stories about his school bus being a horse and buggy and the fact that his teacher would give a nickel to any student that could fire up the one-­‐room schoolhouse pot belly stove. I found this to be fascinating and often tried to imagine Cincinnati pre-­‐WW II. Cliff told me stories about his Army days and being a medic during the Battle of the Bulge. He told me about his trips through Europe and his much anticipated trip home after the war. He always would ask me about my military experiences, and how they were so different from his. He was always surprised we didn’t still eat out of frozen cans when deployed. Cliff always made it a point to tell me he had several jobs after the Army, and his most mentioned was being a nursing home administrator. He would usually combine that with telling me how bad the food was and every time we would both laugh. I noticed he always ate the cookies and the ice cream so I would always remind him of that. He hated turkey, but could devour a piece of fish from Long John Silver’s. Over the year I got to know Cliff we talked about a good many things, but of all the things we talked about there was one that we always came back to and that was Cliff’s wife Peggy. Cliff and Peggy were married shortly after the war. They spent the next 60+ years together before they both ended up in the same nursing home. Peggy died about 16 months before Cliff, and he always kept a picture of her above his bed. I would always make it a point to ask about how they met, what they liked to do or how many times they had a fight. He would always tell me they never had a fight. Knowing Cliff, I found that hard to believe…but I didn’t burst his bubble. He would just talk of her and smile. Cliff passed away a few months back and I feel as though I knew him my entire life. In the grand scheme of life, we may have only had a short time together, but Cliff made a lasting impression on me. Our love for the military may have been a starting point for the friendship, but in the end it went way beyond a brothers-­‐in-­‐arms association. I cannot drive by a Long John Silver’s, watch a WW II documentary or eat turkey without pausing for a second and smiling. So let me say “Thank You” to Cliff from one vet to another, for allowing me the opportunity to get to know you. __________________________________________________________
D.O.V.E. –
Defining Our Volunteer Excellence
KRISTIN JENSEN This quarter, we chose to highlight
as our outstanding Volunteer Coordinator.
Kristin joined our team in October of 2013. Since then, she has been successful in growing the Volunteer
Program in two of our Michigan offices – Muskegon and Grand Rapids.
Kristin is extremely passionate in her role, and works hard to maintain a compliant, successful program
for both locations. Ashley Hilton, VC of our Kalamazoo, MI office, shares that Kristin is always full of
awesome ideas for volunteer appreciation and marketing. We feel fortunate to have Kristin on our team
and appreciate all of her hard work as she works to maintain two great programs!! Thanks, Kristin, for
all that you do to make a difference for Grace Hospice!