Press release:
United Memorial Medical Center held a dinner on May 2, 2013 at Bohn’s restaurant to recognize volunteer service within the organization. Their gifts of time were spent filing records in Human Resources, assisting visitors, comforting family members waiting for a loved one in surgery, stuffing envelopes in the Foundation, helping patients on Hope Haven, serving coffee at the refreshment kiosks at the Hospital and at the Jerome Center, and helping someone choose just the right item in the gift shop.
Their dedication and compassion assists United Memorial in caring for patients and visitors every day. Volunteers are part of our team and part of our UMMC family. We depend on them and turn to them when we need a helping hand with a daily task or need their input on a large project.
Each year, United Memorial and our auxiliaries, the UMMC League and St. Jerome Guild, Inc. honor volunteers who have reached milestones in the cumulative number of hours they have volunteered. This year Guild members Priscilla Dirisio, Jean Havens and Rosemarie Monachino received pins commemorating 100 hours of service. Debbie Pellegrino, Marge Rimmer, Judy Thrasher, and Fran Wigton were honored for 1,000 hours; Betty Luperino received her 2,000 hour pin; and Mary Grace Demarse was honored for 3,000 hours.
Dorothy Baker, the 2011 Genesee County Health and Humanitarian honoree, received her 20,000 hour pin; the equivalent of more than 10 years of full time employment. Dorothy volunteers at the Jerome Center Gift Shop and Refreshment Kiosk and organizes the annual poinsettia and spring flower sales.
League members who were honored include Kathy Hoerbelt and Norma Meyers for 300 hours; Lil Irrera and Carol Smith for 500 hours; Anne Barone and Tim Weatherbee received pins for 700 hours; Doris Lindebauer reached the 1,000 hour milestone; Kay Benton the 1,500 hour; and Linda Pembroke, 3,500.
Augustine Fleming, has volunteered at United Memorial’s Hope Haven unit for over 7,000 hours. Her dedicated volunteer hours to patients recovering from addiction would equal nearly four years of full time employment.
Last year, 79 individuals volunteered 14,689 hours to United Memorial; over 20 months of time compressed into one year. United Memorial measures the time they have donated since their true gifts of compassion, empathy and care they each bring to the lives of our patients, visitors and colleagues is immeasurable.
