Volunteers gather at Christiana Care to receive thanks

2012 wall of fame volunteers — 2012 Christiana Care Volunteers Hall of Fame honorees include (back row, from left): Joanne Patchak, Elayne Tomb, Nancy Bowman, Barbara Campbell, Thomas Campbell; (front row, from left, flanked by Robert J. Laskowski, M.D. Christiana Care president and CEO at left and Delaware Lt. Gov. Matt Denn at right): Norwood Sloan, Margaret DeCoursey, Roger Ayers, Ralph Boardley, and Regina Brothers. 2012 Hall of Fame honoreers unable to attend the event and not in the photo include: Irma Dill, Phyllis Kortvelesy, Claire Nanis, Willie Richardson, Regina VanVeen and Shirley Wittman.

May 3, 2012

Christiana Care leaders recognized the extraordinary dedication of hospital volunteers at the annual Thank You event April 20 at the John H. Ammon Medical Education Center. The event gave special to honor those who have reached the 10-year service milestone.

Christiana Care President and CEO Robert J. Laskowski, M.D., praised everyone who contributed to the total of 60,377 volunteer hours worked in the past year.

“Your volunteerism inspires me,” he said. “The difference you make is a fundamentally human difference.”

“People don’t live in isolation,” Dr. Laskowski says. “They live as members of families and neighborhoods. If you want to understand people and be helpful to their health, you’ve got to be involved in the things that affect their health, which means the community in general.”

“Volunteers affect the quality of our patients’ experience with Christiana Care Health System across the full continuum of care,” said Margarita Rodriguez-Duffy, MSW, director of Volunteers and Visitors Services. “We are very grateful for all they do.”

Delaware Lt. Gov. Matt Denn also attended the Volunteers Thank You event. Denn’s observation: Outcomes are not only the result of the quality of medical care; they “also have much to do with the caring and nurturing of others.” Denn thanked volunteers for the work they do to lighten the workload of Christiana Care employees and help fill gaps in health care resources.

The week event also honored three 2012 Jefferson Award winners. The quarterly award recognizes Christiana Care employees who exemplify actions and attitudes of service, caring and leadership beyond the work they do each day for Christiana Care. This year’s Jefferson Awards Winners were Rose Mili, for her work the MS Society, Lynda Sydnor for advocating for the elderly and John Di Giovanni for his work with a group that would later provide backup communications to Christiana Care and other non-profits. One of the three, John Di Giovanni was selected to represent Christiana Care in Washington, D.C., at a National Volunteer Week event, Celebrating People in Action.

Photo gallery: Volunteer Thank You Event

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