A study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies found that people who volunteer are happier than those who do not. There is something about spreading joy to others that sends an overflow of feel-good endorphins right back to the volunteer.

A Day In the Life of a Friendly Face Volunteer

Friendly Face is a volunteer placement available at Cary Hospital and Raleigh Campus that supports the emotional and diversional needs of patients.

Binita Sura is a Friendly Face volunteer at WakeMed Cary Hospital. She knows all too well what a blessing it is to volunteer. Like clockwork, on Fridays from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, she starts her day gathering gifts to give to patients and then sets out to do her rounds. Handcrafted blankets, hats, hair accessories, shawls, fidget sleeves and quilts are just a few of the incredible offerings on her cart.

While circulating through the halls, Binita stops in front of patient doors peeking in to see who is available and awake. When she finds a patient fitting this description, she beams with excitement, slowly opens the door and shares a warm greeting. Patients are typically delighted to see her.

The Benefit to Patients

Loneliness and isolation are challenges many patients face while in the hospital. Many have few, if any, visitors, and most do not receive a visit from a hospital care team member entering in a non-clinical capacity. Binita is, therefore, a rare treasure. Her work benefits patients’ mental health which most certainly plays a role in recovery.

Kisha Nicole, a gift recipient says, “It makes my day to know that there are people who volunteer time to make handcrafted gifts for people who they do not know just to make them feel better. These gifts prove that there are still good people out there.

“I’m here a lot because of my condition, and I’m also a blanket collector. The blankets I have received in the hospital are gifts I will always remember. I’m very appreciative. I love them. I thank everyone for their time and effort and am glad there are people in the world who give without expecting anything in return.”

Binita finds that the joy of receiving the gifts go beyond feelings of gratitude and joy for patients.

She shares, “I have gone in patient rooms where the patient was in a great deal of pain and very sick, but this gift helped shift the atmosphere, so the patient could momentarily forget about their pain. They were able to focus on this time of sharing and caring.”

The Volunteer Cycle from Making to Giving

The gifts Binita and other volunteers give are made possible by those who work quietly behind the scenes lovingly crafting them for patients they will likely never encounter.

Volunteer Services has over 29 sewing groups and individual sewers who sew, knit and crotchet to make handmade items for patients. The Cary Stitchers is a well-established sewing group. They meet on Mondays, from 9 to 11 am, at the Cary Senior Center in Bond Park.

Groups and individual sewing volunteers bring finished donations to Volunteer Services to drop off their donations. A small volunteer group then comes in to inspect the handmade items before they go out to patients.

The last step is where volunteers, such as Binita, come in. Friendly Face volunteers load up a cart with handmade items and travel room-to-room, visiting patients and giving them an item made and distributed with love.

2022 Giving Statistics

The number of hours, number of volunteers and number of gifts given continue to grow year after year, and 2022 was certainly a boon year.

• Over 20,000 handmade items were made for patients.
• Handmade items were sewn, crotched and knitted.
• Items included adult, children’s and baby blankets, incubator quilts, memory quilts, baby hats and burp cloths, fidget sleeves and busy aprons, pillows, huggables (sewn/stuffed animals), chemo hats, knitted knockers, port pads, cards, meditation bracelets and more.
• More than 700 volunteers donated, accumulating over 150,000 volunteer hours over the year.

Jennifer Gibbs, WakeMed Volunteer Development Specialist shares, “Our volunteer sewing program is very important, not only to our hospital, but also to our community. There are hundreds of people who spend time at community centers, friends’ homes and local churches, sewing, knitting, crocheting and quilting for the patients of WakeMed. This time and effort helps to foster camaraderie in the community as they give back to our patients.

“Once donations are received, our Friendly Face volunteers visit with WakeMed patients to give out these gifts. Our volunteers may be the only visitor they have while here. When a volunteer takes the time to sit with them, listen to their story and give them a handcrafted blanket, hat, shawl, etc. this often touches patients’ lives in a profound way. Plus, it is something they can take home to have a positive remembrance of their stay at WakeMed.”

Benefits to Staff

Aside from the powerful benefit to volunteers and patients, staff also see the remarkable difference through these kind acts of service.

Norma Rusnack, RN, of Cary Hospital explains, “Every time we see the cart coming by, we think of patients who are lonely or cold as well as the elderly. Often, we will send the Friendly Face volunteer to visit specific rooms because particular patients may benefit from handmade blankets or need some cheering up. When patients receive these gifts, they appreciate them so much and truly enjoy them.”

Binita has experienced being asked to visit a particular room.

She recalls, “Staff sometimes ask me to go to a certain patient room to break the tension. These interactions help divert the patient’s attention from pain to a healthy conversation and a positive interaction. Staff members inspire us in what to give sometimes as well. Once, a care team member exited a room quickly and asked me to go in and give the patient a handcrafted pillow. I appreciate this guidance.”

A Life Changing Experience for Binita

Binita is no exception to the many spiritual benefits volunteers receive in giving to others.

She says, “Volunteering has improved my life. Patients are typically delighted, but it isn’t about the material thing I’ve given. It’s about the story behind making it. It’s in those moments when I greet a patient and talk about the love and care that went into making the gift that we both acknowledge the world is run on love and kindness. That kind of positivity is contagious.”

She further explains, “A gift passed from one person to another can bring up words of gratitude, tears of joy or a patient quietly caressing the handcrafted gift.”

“One particular story is very near and dear to me. One day, while at the store, I ran into a customer who looked sad. As we were waiting in line, I started chatting with him, and he said he’d just come from WakeMed. I said, ‘Oh, I volunteer at WakeMed.’ Then he said, ‘Yeah, but you don’t volunteer on this floor.’ I told him I did. He continued with more ‘buts’ until he’d navigated me to the area where his wife was receiving care, and he asked me if I’d visit her. The next time I volunteered, I tried to locate her to no avail. Amazingly, I ran into this same gentleman in the same store again. This time, he begged me to find his wife and provided me her name and room number. The next day, I found her. She was very sweet, and we talked for a very long time. I gave her a bracelet, and she put it on. Coincidentally, about two weeks later, I again met her husband in the same grocery store in the checkout line. He shared with me that his wife died a few days after my visit, and she wore that bracelet until the end. A month has gone by, and I have not seen that gentleman again, but it is an experience I will never forget.

“People think I’m generous, but really, I crave the blessings that come from this work. This work gives me blessings upon blessings. That’s why it’s so beautiful.”

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About WakeMed Volunteering

Are you interested in becoming a volunteer? It takes a special person to be a volunteer, and WakeMed is always glad to see folks in the community willing to share their time and talents with the patients and staff at WakeMed. The time spent at WakeMed as a volunteer benefits the entire community. A volunteer serves as an ambassador, liaison and educator for patients, families, visitors and the public. Learn more about volunteering at WakeMed.