Volunteers Recognized for Dedicated Service
June 4, 2018, MORRIS, IL – There were multiple reasons for celebration at Morris Hospital’s annual volunteer appreciation luncheon held May 23 at the Morris Country Club. In addition to recognizing volunteer’s collective 44,000 hours of service over the past year and milestones in individual years of volunteer service, 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of the Morris Hospital Patient Transportation Service.
“We have so much to celebrate,” Morris Hospital President & CEO Mark Steadham told the guests attending the luncheon. “Every year, I wonder how I am going to adequately express thanks and appreciation to our volunteers — a group that has donated 44,000 hours of their time over the past year.”
Steadham said the 44,000 volunteer hours represent so much more than an impressive number. Over the past year, Morris Hospital was able to provide 16,000 rides to community members who needed transportation to medical appointments because of volunteers. Volunteers give visitors entering the hospital through the main lobby a place to turn for information and directions. The Morris Hospital Auxiliary Gift Shop netted sales of $40,000 as a result of volunteer hours, and over 4,000 area high school students were screened for cardiac abnormalities through the Rhythm of Our Youth heart screening. The pet therapy program at Morris Hospital is possible because of volunteers, as well as the senior health insurance program which provides free medical insurance counseling. Steadham said these are just a few examples of the many ways volunteers contribute to Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers.
“Every single hour of those 44,000 volunteer hours is appreciated and makes a difference,” added Steadham.
Tina Carter, Manager of Patient Transportation and Lifeline Services at Morris Hospital, praised the volunteers for making the patient transportation service possible.
“Over the past two decades, the Morris Hospital Patient Transportation service has become an essential community resource, helping patients and families access health care in times of need,” said Carter. “We are so appreciative to our volunteers for positively impacting the lives of so many in our communities.”
Volunteers who reached milestones in their years of volunteer service were also honored at the luncheon, with Jeri Dolezal taking top honors with 50 years of service. Dolezal has been part of the Auxiliary Gift Shop since it started as a small gift cart. Through her volunteer leadership over the past 50 years, more than $500,000 has been donated back to Morris Hospital through gift shop sales.
“There are so many volunteers who stand out for unique reasons,” said Karen Nowosielski, Manager of Volunteer Services. “There’s the volunteer who says yes more often than not to cover an open shift, and the volunteer who digs in and gets dirty cleaning shelves, unpacking boxes of inventory, or working flower sales. We have volunteers who come to work in spite of bad weather because they don’t want to let our patients down, volunteers who want to give back to the community and make it a better place, and volunteers who, when thanked, say ‘I get more than I give.’
“Our volunteers make life brighter for families and patients by being kind, compassionate, warm and cheerful. They are the heart of Morris Hospital and the heart of our community,” added Nowosielski.
The following Morris Hospital volunteers were honored for achieving milestones in their service hours:
Batavia
Thomas Meyer, 250 hours
Braceville
Jean Naretto, 1,500 hours
Channahon
Jacqueline Briones, 100 hours
Ashley Hoffman, 1,000 hours
Lori Youell, 250 hours
Raymond Youell, 250 hours
Coal City
James Arnold, 1,000 hours
Eugene Cassani, 2,500 hours
Sandi Christensen, 250 hours
Diane D’Arcy, 500 hours
Lorraine Pierard, 250 hours
Kathy Seitz, 100 hours
Helen Talty, 750 hours
Diamond
Judith Leeder, 750 hours
Dwight
Nancy Bjelland, 250 hours
John Galik, 500 hours
Gardner
Donna Gabehart, 100 hours
Pat Lenzie, 2,000 hours
JoAnne McMillan, 250 hours
Sharon Pickles, 250 hours
Marseilles
Mike Ambrose, 2,000 hours
Lois Gray, 100 hours
Larry Mitchell, 10,000 hours
Dave Prater, 5,500 hours
Imogene Seaborn, 2,000 hours
Mazon
Donna Binion, 2,000 hours
Ralph Binion Sr., 4,500 hours
Ruth Briscoe, 1,500 hours
Minooka
Janet Orzech, 100 hours
Morris
Vivian Allen, 250 hours
John Almer, 1,500 hours
Linda Baldwin, 2,000 hours
Ralph Barajas, 2,500 hours
Nancy Bauer, 250 hours
James Beem, 100 hours
Laurie Biskie, 1,500 hours
Sandra Bolker, 100 hours
Betty Borger, 750 hours
Christina Breisch-Harty, 100 hours
Ann Burgess, 750 hours
Carol Button, 750 hours
Thelma Campbell, 750 hours
William Capper, 7,500 hours
Richard Chapell, 750 hours
Janis Christensen, 750 hours
Dorothy Claire, 500 hours
Beth Clampitt, 1,000 hours
Richard Dice, 750 hours
Jeri Dolezal, 36,000 hours
Donna Dyslin, 250 hours
Patricia Feeney, 750 hours
Dennis Fisher, 100 hours
Sandra Gantzert, 1,000 hours
Virginia Guertin, 250 hours
Herbert Hain, 6,000 hours
Joyce Hain, 3,500 hours
Christine Hankins, 100 hours
Ellen Hanouw, 500 hours
Carol Harris, 3,500 hours
Duane Harseim, 4,000 hours
Sherril Herrick, 1,000 hours
Debbie Janiszewski, 750 hours
Gretchen Johnson, 7,500 hours
Janet Johnson, 250 hours
Judy Johnson, 1,000 hours
Linda Jones, 1,000 hours
James Jongewaard, 2,000 hours
Luella Kellogg, 3,000 hours
Terry Klepp, 2,000 hours
Sherry Korthauer, 3,500 hours
Paul Kostal, 1,000 hours
Debbie Kosters, 250 hours
Judy Kramer, 4,000 hours
George Kresse, 8,000 hours
Gary Kuntz, 3,000 hours
Judith Kuntz, 5,000 hours
Linda Larsen, 250 hours
Mary Laursen, 750 hours
Pat Lawrence, 1,000 hours
Peggy Leach, 4,000 hours
Rich Leach, 100 hours
Robert Limbach, 3,000 hours
Regina Littral, 100 hours
Suzanne Lock, 250 hours
Lorraine Mickelson, 250 hours
Alan Miller, 750 hours
Nina Murphy, 250 hours
Penny Nelson, 250 hours
Judi Nickels, 750 hours
James O’Hara, 9,000 hours
Gary Orndorff, 7,000 hours
Patrick O’Sullivan, 14,000 hours
Paul Patterson, 100 hours
Lynn Paulson, 500 hours
Raymond Paulson, 8,000 hours
Carole Peterson, 500 hours
Trish Phillips, 250 hours
Barbara Pope, 500 hours
Barb Raab, 3,500 hours
Ronald Ragan, 8,500 hours
Gary Reid, 1,000 hours
Judy Rivera, 250 hours
Evelyn Roseland, 750 hours
Marlene Ryder, 2,500 hours
Donald Ryder, Jr., 3,000 hours
Michael Sanders, 3,000 hours
Charles Sargent, 1,500 hours
Vivi Sargent, 1,500 hours
James Schaub, 750 hours
Richard Sefton, 3,000 hours
Sara Seidler, 750 hours
Wayne Seilkopf, 500 hours
Mary Shoudis, 250 hours
Mary Skratulia, 250 hours
Bruce Smith, 750 hours
Gail Smith, 750 hours
Nilsa Sochan, 750 hours
Ann Stansberry, 250 hours
Sandra Strange, 750 hours
Barry Summers, 2,000 hours
Nancy Thorson, 100 hours
Beth Trotter, 750 hours
Georgette Walker, 250 hours
Marilyn Wilder, 500 hours
Mary Fran Wilkinson, 750 hours
Judith Winkel, 1,500 hours
Melissa Wright, 500 hours
Newark
Carla O’Brien, 250 hours
Seneca
Dorothy Akre, 1,000 hours
Cathy Bergstrom, 500 hours
Dennis Bergstrom, 1,500 hours
Shelley Ehret, 100 hours
Thaddeus Grandys, 2,000 hours
Diana Green, 750 hours
LaRee Longtin, 250 hours
Patricia Stevens, 750 hours
St.Charles
Dennis Mahoney, 250 hours
Streator
Karen Libby, 100 hours
Verona
Ron Flynn, 1,500 hours
Wilmington
Bernie Shields, 10,000 hours
Yorkville
Patricia Engstrom, 1,500 hours
Margaret Light, 500 hours
Ardis Peterson, 750 hours
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