The Volunteer Reporter
National Volunteer Week Special Edition
April 2000

April 2000 In this issue.... Letter to Fellow Volunteers 1000 Hour Volunteers Recognized Junior Volunteer Applications Accepted Opportunities to Help Contributions and Donations Report Bits and Pieces Upcoming Events Get Wired Join Us For Lunch! College Student Leader Board

Dear Volunteers,

You are accustomed to hearing from your Board chair in this space but I have asked for this opportunity to "speak" to you in this issue for very special reasons.

Amazing as it may seem, I have just passed my fifth year anniversary as director of your Volunteer Services. These years seem to have gone by in the blink of an eye. When I think about my time here with you, several things come to mind: the many, many truly wonderful people I have come to know, the warm feelings of pride I have every day watching you making a difference in the lives of our patients and their families, the amazing changes in our health care environment and the opportunities this continues to provide for volunteer service. Every day I feel truly blessed to be a part of your dynamic and caring world.

This year National Volunteer Week is April 9 - 16. During this special week, our director Mr. R. Edward Howell is hosting an afternoon reception on Wednesday, April 12, from 2-4 p.m. at the University Athletic Club (our event will be held in the lovely new addition which has a magnificent wraparound screened porch overlooking the ravine). It will be a wonderful opportunity to eat, drink and be merry with our volunteer friends and to hear Mr. Howell discuss what is happening in health care.

It has been more than four years since our last opportunity to hear Mr. Howell address us, the Volunteers, on the state of health care. He will take a few moments to review our past, give us an up-to-date look at our hospital today (our growing partnership with the College of Medicine, our emphasis on fiscally sound management while nurturing medical excellence) and a glimpse into our future (increased attention to the personal needs of our patients). This will be a wonderful opportunity not only to learn more about our hospital but also to ask of Mr. Howell any questions you may have.

Good things will be happening in the Main Lobby during the month of April! The display case (by the ATM machine) will showcase a salute to the Volunteers. The current 1000+ hour volunteer recognition pillar (which many of you may never have noticed!) is being replaced with a fabulous update. It should be ready for installation later in April - watch for it!

And just as a reminder, our annual Twilight Toast celebration is June 6. Invitations will be sent next month, but please mark your calendars and cross your fingers to wish for a beautiful sunny day!

I hope you will be able to join us April 12. I am looking forward to seeing you, hearing your thoughts, eating yummy treats and just having a fun time together.

With sincere appreciation,

Mary Ameche

Four new volunteers enter the 1000 Hour Category On January 20, 2000, the Volunteer Services welcomed four more volunteers into the 1000-Hour group and one more into the 5000-Hour group with a luncheon held in the East Room. They join over 200 others who have contributed over 1000 hours of volunteer service to University of Iowa Health Care. Those recognized included: Fran Alderman. Fran began volunteering in 1990, and has worked in the Gift Shop, the Volunteer Office and the hospitality carts. Sally Kruse. Sally began volunteering in February of 1998, after 34 years as an employee of the hospital. She earned her 1000 hours in the Rooftop, as a Daychair in the Volunteer office and Beauty Salon, working the hospitality carts and making baby hats. Dick Mitchell. Dick began volunteering in March of 1991, and has earned most of his hours volunteering as a patient representative. Jan Stier. Jan began volunteering in July of 1986, and has worked at Rooftop Cafe and on the hospitality carts. In addition she has volunteered for Project Art and served on several committees. Anna Stranieri, who began volunteering in January of 1984, was recognized for 5000 Hours! Anna works at the UIHC as a research assistant and has earned all her volunteer hours making baby hats.

We're looking for help! Do you know a friend who might be interested in helping us... or would you like to volunteer in another area? We need more help!

The Wild Rose Gifts needs cashiers and sales people for the following days and times: Thursday:     4:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Friday:         4:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Saturday:     10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.                     2:00 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday:     10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.                     2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. We are always looking to expand our substitute list. Sounds like fun but can't commit to a regular shift? Give us a call.

The Medical and Surgical Intensive Care Units are looking for people to work in the family waiting areas. These volunteers serve as liaisons between the units and the families, take phone calls, assist with comfort needs of the families and offer emotional support. Most days and times are available. Rooftop Cafe and the Hospitality Carts are looking for volunteers to work the morning shifts most days. Call Jean Reed at 356-1241 if you can help as a regular or substitute or know of someone interested in assisting with this valuable service.

Contributions and Donations Report February Board Approved Requests

1. Phyllis Cain, Nursing, requested $6131 for 24 new roll-away beds and 12 replacement mattress. The request was recommended for full funding.

2. Michelle Parlato and Tamara Sebolt requested $1500 for a bariatric reclining chair for obese patients on 7JCE. The request was recommended for full funding.

3. C. Dawson and M. Paulsen requested $300 to provide toothbrushes to new patients in the Oral Surgery Clinic. The request was recommended for full funding.

4. Melody Walker and Deb Bohlken, Nursing, requested $225 to purchase sympathy cards for 4JPE, Oncology unit. The request was recommended for full funding.

5. Jaime Sherman, Burn Unit requested $580 for the purchase of a relaxation system to be used during hydrotherapy treatments. The request was recommended for full funding.

6. Julie Barrett and Don Swanson, Nursing, 1JPW, Psych unit, requested $900 to purchase two geriatric chairs. The request was recommended for full funding.

7. Betty Merrifield, Peds Speech and Hearing, requested $5000 for Summer Speech Camp Scholarships. The request was recommended for partial funding of $2,500, as CMN funding was requested as well.

8. Mark Moser, Educational Services/Hospital Schools requested $10,000 for support of the Hospital Tutoring program. The request was recommended for full funding, but they are encouraged to seek additional financial support in the future.

9. Mary Johnson, requested $312.96 for one PVC Ultimate Walker for geriatric patients on 2JPE and 2JPW. The request was recommended for funding of $625 to purchase two walkers.

10. Cheryl Mummey, Palliative Care Service, requested $99 to purchase stationery or cards from the Gift Shop to send as bereavement cards to families of patients. The request was recommended for full funding.

11. Melissa Mackin, Nursing, Oncology, requested $200 to supply an alternative therapy cart. The request was recommended for full funding.

12. Mindy Egeland, Patients' Library, requested $920 for purchase of disposable headphones for use with radios and tape players for patients throughout the hospital. The request was recommended for full funding.

13. Mindy Egeland, Barb Young, requested $1600 for WEB TV service and mounting of TV's in the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit on 7RCW. The request was recommended for full funding.

14. Mary Ameche presented a request for a memorial contribution of $100 to be given to the Helen K. Rossi Guest House in memory of Duane Coulter, the father of Susan Howell. The request was director approved on 2/2/00.

15. Margaret Pardini, Oral Surgery, requested $100 for prizes for children undergoing treatment in the clinic. The request was director approved on 2/2/00.

Bits and Pieces

On February 23, 2000, a group of volunteers comprised of former and current Board Chairpersons attended the Iowa Hospitals and Health Systems Legislative Day in Des Moines. The annual event is designed to familiarize volunteers with legislative issues impacting health care and provides an opportunity to visit with your legislators in the Iowa House and Senate. This was our first year to take a group to this event and the response of those attending was extremely positive. The Beauty Salon held yet another successful BEAUTY FAIR in the East Room in late December. These fairs have proven to be huge successes in terms of product sales and creating heightened awareness. Please stop by the salon during a time you are volunteering in the hospital and check out the wonderful products and services that we have to offer. Remember, supporting our salon helps to sustain this valuable service to our patients and their families. Thanks to the following individuals for volunteering to work at the booth over the weekend: Betty Cranston, Wilma Evans, Willie Gingerich, Guy and Mary Jane Harris, Phyllis Kelso, Don and Donna Tjaden, and Ginny Wenman.

Call for Nominations: With the end of this program year not far around the bend, we will be soon putting together a roster of nominees for our 2000 - 2001 Volunteer Services Advisory Board and committees. If you know of a volunteer who might be interested, we would appreciate it if you would submit their name for nomination by calling our office. The Annual Chamber of Commerce Business Fair at Carver Hawkeye Arena was held March 24 - 26. The Business Fair gives us an opportunity to promote our program to the thousands of people who attend. The Joint Office of Planning and Marketing here at the hospital put together a fabulous new photo display and redesigned our brochures for the event.     NEW RECOGNITION PLAQUE TO BE UNVEILED: For many years, there has been a rather nondescript plaque in the main lobby listing the names of our 1000 Hour Plus volunteers. In a few weeks, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics will unveil the new plaque which dramatically draws attention to the wonderful work that our volunteers have done here at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Keep your eyes on the main lobby by the registration area! You won't want to miss the new display. It's going be GREAT.

Upcoming Events April 12, 2000, 2 - 4 p.m. Reception at the University Athletic Club with R. Edward Howell in celebration of National Volunteer Week April 25, 2000 Potluck in the Volunteer Office for all Tuesday volunteers May 11, 2000 Parent Student Orientation for Junior Volunteer Services June 6, 2000 Twilight Toast June 13, 2000 Junior Volunteers begin June 14, 2000 Potluck in the Volunteer Office for all Wednesday volunteers

BOOT UP YOUR COMPUTER! We've got a few bright ideas. As computers have become more commonplace in everyone's home, we have been exploring ways to use email and web pages to better communicate with you. Over the past year, we have tracked all the email addresses of our college students and have found that this is a great way to keep in touch with them. We would love to add your email address to our data files. Please send your email address to douglas-flater@uiowa.edu and we'll start creating the database. Thanks to the hard work of the Volunteer Services's, Jean Reed and Lynn Snyder of the Virtual Hospital, we will soon have a web page that will give all our volunteers the opportunity to keep current with activities and news of our program, turn in hours and chat with us via email. Final touches are being added and we will share our new web address with you soon.

We miss seeing you! With volunteers working in areas all over the hospital, we don't have as many opportunities to get together as we would like. To help keep everyone in touch, we have planned Volunteer "day of the week" potlucks. All the volunteers in the hospital on that day are invited to come join us for lunch. Our first potluck for Monday volunteers was held on March 6 and was a huge success. In addition to a ton of great food, we brought together a lot of people we don't ordinarily get to see and had a delightful time.

Mark your calendar now and plan to join us for lunch on the following days:

April 25, 2000 for our Tuesday volunteers

June 14, 2000 for our Wednesday volunteers

August 24, 2000 for our Thursday volunteers

October 13, 2000 for our Friday volunteers

If you volunteer on more than one day of the week, or just happen to be in the hospital on any of these days, please join us. After all, what can be better than lunch with great food, great fun and great volunteers.

College Student Leader Board reorganizes early, to be ready for 2000 - 2001!

One of the lessons we learned over the past two years is that it is critical to have continuity between the different academic years and the members serving on the student leader board. In February, we asked the staff supervisors to nominate student volunteers to serve on the Leader Board. We subsequently interviewed the applicants and selected a dynamic group of students to serve on the board for the academic year beginning in June.

Congratulations to Jonathan Bailey, who was selected as the Leader Board Chairperson for this next year effective March 1. He has been working out of our office a great deal and many of you have already had a chance to get to know him. He will assist us this summer with coordination of the Junior Volunteer Program and is already directing efforts of the Student Leader Board as they collectively manage the 550 college students who volunteer at our hospital.

The following individuals (and the areas they will be coordinating) were appointed to serve on the 2000 - 2001 College Student Leader Board: Jessica Davis, General Medicine, 6RCE/W; Ian McQuistan, Physical Therapy; Shannon Goldman, Cancer Inpatient Units; Andrea Dunn, Pediatrics Rock and Read Program; Lynnae Haglund, Cardiology and CVICU; Sara Shunkwiler, MICU; Steve Strom, Pediatric Outpatient Clinic; Abi Morgan, Pediatric Inpatient Units; Liz Davis, Pediatric Inpatient Units; Maureen Watts, SICU; Jonathan Titus, Neurology and Sleep Disorder; Kerri McGargill, Organ Transplant; Clint Reyerson, Ronald McDonald House; Jason Cairns, ETC; Jennifer Ruppert, Burn Treatment Center; Sara Ellison, Education Services; and McKenzie Nelson, Housed Outpatient Units.

Our current Student Leader Board is working jointly with the new board to train them and assure a smooth transition. We are grateful for their hard work and will miss the following individuals who are leaving or graduating and will no longer be on the board: Alex Jones, Jamie Larson, Chris Nelson, Drew Porter, and Erin Casey.

Keep your eyes on our college students! They are a delightful group of talented and committed volunteers who, like our community volunteers, make a huge difference here at University of Iowa Health Care.