Michele McFarland before the pandemic could be found visiting residents at The Village at Sprenkle Drive. Michele has been a volunteer for two years and was a regular friendly visitor. Michele says, “When I visit with residents I not only brighten their day, but they also brighten my day and I always leave feeling fulfilled.” Michele has made friendly phone calls and sent notes of encouragement to residents throughout the pandemic.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ruth continued volunteering virtually by providing weekly, stimulating crossword and word puzzles handouts. At Christmas, she assembled booklets of her puzzles and sent them to her neighbors in lieu of Christmas cards. Ruth never wavered on how she could still help enrich the lives of our residents.
Although volunteer opportunities are limited at this time, we are so excited to have volunteers begin to return safely to their roles. Both Grace Dunkleberger (right) and Jean Brake (left) say they are excited to return to their volunteer roles at The Corner Bistro.
Georgianna Hoffeditz, a hospice volunteer for 39 years, began making bereavement phone calls during the pandemic a month after her husband died peacefully under our care after receiving hospice care intermittently over the course of a few years.
Typically, volunteers take at least a year off from volunteering following the death of a loved one to afford them space to grieve, but SpiriTrust Lutheran granted an exception to Georgianna after she politely insisted we allow her to resume supporting others on their grief journey
“When I visit with residents I not only brighten their day, but they also brighten my day and I always leave feeling fulfilled."
