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Volunteer Appreciation and Recognition
2009 Volunteer Recognition Dinner
The annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner was held on Thursday, April 23, 2009 at The Virginia Home in conjunction with National Volunteer Week. Approximately 95 volunteers attended the event, along with 20 staff members who were on hand to make our guests feel welcomed and to assist with the festivities. A delicious and bountiful Italian-themed buffet dinner prepared by our own Dietary department was served, complete with pasta bar and scrumptious desserts. Entertainment was provided by Scuffletown. After dinner, guests were treated to videos highlighting major volunteer projects from the past year and video clips from Extravaganza..
Following the entertainment, Sherry Williams, Director of Volunteer Services, recognized the volunteers for their outstanding service in 2008 and commended them for steady service during tough economic times. Susan Vaughan , President of the Board of Trustees, presented the award for Volunteer of the Year to Louise Seiler. Certificates of appreciation were distributed to individuals and groups, and everyone in attendance received a Tervis tumber with the TVH logo. Many thanks to everyone who joined us in celebration of our volunteers, and to the staff that worked so hard to make this a very special evening.
Recent Volunteers of the Year
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart - 2008
Louise has volunteered at The Virginia Home since September 2007, and she clocked over 300 hours last year alone.
Every Tuesday and Thursday you can find Louise helping out back in the Occupational and Recreation Therapy departments.
She doesn’t have a particular self-fulfilling goal in mind for her volunteerism -- she just wants to help. And boy, does she ever! Because of her unwavering
dependability, staff and residents alike have come to rely on her beyond measure. Louise has an easy, comfortable
way about her that attracts the residents in droves. In between department programs or while waiting for her ride home, she often sits in the parlor or on the porch and visits with residents who greatly enjoy her company and are always a little reluctant to let her go!
We are truly blessed by Louise’s goodwill and desire to enrich
the lives of our residents and enhance the work of our staff. Good work, Louise, and congratulations for being named this year’s Volunteer of the Year!
2008 - Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
Cathedral serves as the Mother Church of the Diocese of Richmond, and Father Patrick Golden is currently the rector. Their Eucharistic ministry provides holy communion to hundreds of sick and disabled Richmonders each week, including the residents of The Virginia Home. In fact, Cathedral is the only parish that currently brings worship and observance opportunities directly to our catholic population.
Volunteers from Cathedral—such as Don & Loraine Tracy, Lynn & Donna Newcomb, and Stacy Thomas—visit The Home each Sunday afternoon to offer holy communion, while parishioner Ann Mayes provides thoughtful, creative weekly services during Lent. Pat and Barry Wilhite coordinate these services, as well as a quarterly mass for The Home which is usually led by Father Golden.
Cathedral’s involvement with The Home is not limited to divine matters. Parishioners contributed over $650 to the last Aquathon and took the time to come cheer on the swimmers. We truly consider it our good fortune to be considered a part of Cathedral’s flock, and we are grateful to them for playing an important part in the spiritual and physical well-being of our residents.
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Ellen has been volunteering at The Virginia Home since January 2006, and since then she has consistently epitomized the role of dedicated volunteer. She spends more than 5 hours per week enabling our residents to express themselves creatively in “Open Shop” every Tuesday and Thursday. She has taken an old activity that involved painting simple ceramics and wood pieces to a whole new level that includes mosaics, glass etching, and needlework.
Ellen recognizes there is a deep need among our residents to be actively involved in meaningful leisure activities which improve their quality of life. Her background in early childhood education allows her to evaluate a resident’s ability to participate in an activity and the level of assistance required. Her attitude is best described as looking beyond one’s obstacles and discovering his or her unique abilities through art. Jody Young, Director of Recreation Therapy says of Ellen, “Her skills reflect that of a seasoned staff member, and she can be relied on for effective leadership.”
After receiving her award, Ellen was quick to praise the staff with whom she works, stating “The therapists make Open Shop a relaxing, welcoming, and fun experience for everyone.” Further revealing her caring spirit, she also added, “I think perhaps you should consider a special thank you to the residents from the volunteers for allowing us to visit and for enriching our lives.” We are grateful to Ellen for her devotion to our residents and for the hours of dedicated service she provided in 2006!
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2006 - Jerry McCall
Jerry has been a volunteer at The Virginia Home since November 2004, and he has since become an indispensable member of our team and a tremendous asset to the volunteer services department. Like clockwork, Jerry is here every morning, Monday through Thursday, at 8:55 AM and works to 2:30 or until the job is done. When Jerry is around, magical things indeed do happen…resident mail gets sorted, name tags are pressed into new clothing, residents move between the lobby and therapy departments in a flash, banking transactions are witnessed, tables are set up for Bridge on Thursdays, and Callie the cat receives breakfast in a can.
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2005 – Sam Murdock & Pat Musselwhite
This dynamic duo started out almost a decade ago when Pat Musselwhite recruited his long-time friend, Sam Murdock, to join him in volunteering at The Home. Since 1996, Sam, Pat and their growing entourage have entertained and inspired our residents by sharing their love of music. Their involvement in Virginia Home functions has steadily grown to the point where some of our favorite parties would just not be the same without them.
Pat and Same spin disks and DJ at the annual Christmas Party and make always our annual Halloween Bash a night to remember. On occasion, Elvis even makes a uncommon appearance when these guys are in the building. In addition to these very special annual events, Pat and Sam also volunteer one Saturday every other month to spend time with the residents and work their musical magic.
These two gentlemen have always gone above and beyond what we would ask of a volunteer. Through their compassion and dedication, they personify the volunteer spirit in which The Virginia Home was founded.
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"This is one of the nicest things that has ever happened to me." - Louise Seiler |
