This Thanksgiving, many North Carolinians share a special meal and give thanks for the things that bring comfort and joy. At WakeMed, we are also stopping to appreciate the things that bring us comfort and joy, one of which is our dedicated team of volunteers.
Without our volunteers, WakeMed could not operate as effectively as it does, nor could we give our patients the premium care they deserve. “We select our volunteers through a comprehensive application process,” says Susan Hester, director of Community Services at WakeMed. “However, our volunteers select us in return. They choose to be here, and we sincerely thank them for contributing to our quality service initiatives and for supporting our goals and mission.”
Whether they are orienting a patient to his or her room, helping visitors find their way, delivering mail or flowers, talking with patients during rounds, raising funds, helping cheer patients by teaming up with a hospitality pet, engaging pediatric patients in diversionary activities or creating handmade gifts, our volunteers help make WakeMed the warm, welcoming place that it is. In October 2008 through September 2009, our 1,197 volunteers:
• Contributed 112,955 total work hours (the workload of about 51 full-time employees!)
• Donated $83,575 to our organization
• Served 122 departments
• Collected 524 pints of blood by sponsoring American Red Cross blood drives
• Sewed and knitted for over 38,000 hours to make shawls, pillows, baby hats and more for our patients
And the list goes on. On behalf of our entire employee and physician team, we express sincere appreciation and gratitude for the work and services our volunteers so generously provide.
Learn more about WakeMed Volunteer Services or click here to view some of our current volunteer opportunities.
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