el paso providence memorial “vial of l.i.f.e hospital el ... · providence memorial hospital, el...

Published by the

Texas Association of

Healthcare Volunteers, Inc.

El Paso Providence Memorial Hospital – El Paso

By Patricia O’Toole

Providence Memorial Hospital, El Paso, has a unique partnership with Creative Kids, Inc., a local art studio and gallery, under Project AIM (Arts in Motion) which is an art and digital me-dia program for pediatric oncology patients at our hospital. The studio is owned and operat-ed by Andrea and Stephen Ingle, a young cou-ple dedicated to exposing children of all walks of life to art. To date, our collaborative pro-jects with Creative Kids have been quite lucra-tive for our Auxiliary. Our first project was an “Arfworks” calendar, created with canvases prepared first by our four legged friends from Paws for Love with their paw prints, and then beautiful paintings were visualized by the pe-diatric oncology artists. After completion of the calendar, the original paintings were sold at an auction sponsored by the PMH Healthcare Volunteers. Our next project was a scarf sale, in which various colored scarves were silk screened with concentric cir-cles drawn by a 7 year old patient. The sale was very successful. Un-fortunately, as it happens, this little artist passed away shortly after the sale. Many of the paintings created by these wonderful artists line sev-eral hallways at Providence Memo-rial Hospital. If you would like fur-ther information regarding the Cre-ative Kids Program, please contact Steven or Andrea Ingle at (915)-533-9575, or e-mail [email protected].

“Vial of L.I.F.E

(Lifesaving Information for Emergencies)”

Texas Health Resources Hurst-Euless-Bedford Hospital—Community Service Project

Texas Health Resources Hurst-Euless-Bedford Hospital (THHEB) auxiliary planned and worked a successful community service pro-ject aptly named “Vial of L.I.F.E (Lifesaving Information For Emer-gencies)”. Judy Daley, our program specialist of volunteer service, was aware of many communities around the country supplying their residents with large medicine bottles to safeguard their per-sonal “Emergency Information”. It was selected for our project.

The Community Relations department of our hospital purchased the large medicine bottles, and then the THHEB auxiliary labeled over 1000 bottles. On October 7, 2011, the THHEB Auxiliary passed out the bottles to the community during the Empowering Senior.

Continued on page 2

A Message from Sherry….

When you read this, conven-tion will be less than a month away, and the Con-vention 2012 Committee will be busily tending to all those last-minute details that pop

up just before a big event. Some of you will be coming to convention for the first time – wondering just what will hap-pen. I encourage you to go to the First Timers’ Orientation for a quick course in what TAHV has to offer you and your volunteers. You’ll learn just what Traveling Topics can bring to your hospital; how the Gifts and Memorials Foundation chooses healthcare students for scholarships; how your volunteers can be fea-tured in an article in our newsletter, The Out-look, which can be emailed to anyone who would like a copy; when dues are paid; where you send officer changes to insure the right contact information reaches our database; and other useful information. Those of you who have been to earlier conven-tions will look forward to BYOI (Bring Your Own Information) where volunteers gather at many round tables to share ideas and find so-lutions. The two sets of educational sessions on Uniform Day feature speakers who will pre-sent topics of interest to healthcare volun-teers. Our Minnesota speaker will be bringing training modules on volunteer issues, and the-se aids can be purchased. When you are not busy learning and sharing ideas, you can enjoy a delicious dinner and a super band at the President’s Party. Plan to wear red, white, or blue and have a memora-ble evening. On May 22nd, you’ll be part of the rainbow of colors as we all wear our uni-forms. This is the day awards are given and when Gifts & Memorials does Buck-A-Head to raise money for more healthcare scholar-ships. And there will be lots of excitement as three groups discover they have won beautiful glass trophies for their Past Presidents’ Awards entries.

Continued on page 3

Outlook Newsletter-January 2012-

“Vial of L.I.F.E

(Lifesaving Information for Emergencies)”

Continued from page 1

2011 Expo, at the First Baptist Church in Euless, Texas. Empower-ing Seniors 2011 Expo was sponsored by Tarrant County (Texas) Commissioner, Gary Fickes. The event was advertised for residents over the age of 50 to attend free of charge. The purpose was to introduce and highlight many services and products available to the Tarrant County residents attending. A volunteer was quoted as saying, “This is one of the many programs the Auxiliary has devel-oped to help us live The Promise” of THR.

FYI: Many communities around the country have trained their First

Responders (EMS) to look for these bottles when they are called

to an emergency. Your emergency information which includes

your medicine list, allergies, emergency contacts, and Advance

Directives paperwork should be placed inside. The First Respond-

ers are instructed to look for the vial in the top shelf of your refrig-

erator door. Be sure and carry your vial to the hospital for emer-

gency care

TAHV Annual Convention May 21-23

Renaissance Hotel in Austin

See you there!

the world a happier place to be. Buckner said. During the December UMH board meeting, some Auxiliary executive officers were pre-sented with a Resolution recognizing and thanking the organization for its generous do-nation. The UMH Auxiliary is currently composed of 35 active volunteers who dedicate their time helping out in the hospital’s Gift Shop and reg-istration area.

Iris Jimenez

A message from Sherry… Continued from page 2

There will be shopping at the Vendor Fair, bid-ding on items at the Silent Auction (ask your gift shop for an item to donate to this), draw-ings for door prizes, and the chance to interact with volunteers from across the state. All this activity may inspire you to take the meander-ing sidewalk from the hotel front door over to the little ice cream shop that has become an Austin tradition. You’re going to have a great time! Throughout every year, TAHV offers infor-mation to all its members. If you need help or have questions, contact any board mem-ber. You will find us listed on our excellent website, www.tahv.org. We have both publica-tions and people to aid you. If you would like a board member to visit your hospital, we can do that as well. Let us know. TAHV exists to serve you. Being able to represent the wonderful volun-teers of Texas as your president has been a rewarding experience, and I am grateful for the opportunity you have given me. May all of you continue Doing Good*Living Well.

Sherry

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”—Mahatma Gandhi


Uvalde Memorial Auxiliary Donates $22,000 to

Uvalde Memorial Hospital

In December 2011, under the leadership of Uvalde Memorial Hos-pital Auxiliary President Sharon Colwell, the Auxiliary unanimously decided to donate $22,000 for the purchase of new TV’s and spon-sorship of two new patient education channels that will be added to the cable line-up patients can view during a stay in the hospital. The request for assistance in funding the project came from UMH Administrator Jim Buckner and clinical educator Pauline Gar-cia. “The education channel is a perfect way for the hospital to educate our clients and their families with the newest evidence-based information,” Garcia said. Upon viewing a few sample vide-os and learning more about the channels, Auxiliary members were happy to help with the project. “The tradition and mission of the UMH Auxiliary has always been to assist the hospital in any way possible,” Colwell said, explaining that when the opportunity came up to sponsor the education channel, members agreed. The donation also allows for the pur-chase of 39 new 32-inch TV’s. The TV’s completed the replace-ment of older models and upgrade to those more compatible with recent technological advances. In addition to the purchase of the TV’s, the donation also provides funds to purchase a two-year subscription to the Wellness Net-work’s Patient Channel and Newborn Channel. The Patient Chan-nel offers preventative health and condition-specific programming designed to empower and inform patients about a variety of health care conditions. The Newborn Channel broadcasts timely baby care and parenting content. Both channels offer content available for the viewing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The content is composed of high-quality and current medical information, is updated on a quarterly basis and offers both seasonal and general disease information. “The Auxiliary members understand the benefit expected from this project and gave as big as their hearts and checking account could afford. With a small unexpected discount by the vendor, the hos-pital was able to obtain the entire system and two years of pro-gramming for only the cost of installation.” Buckner said. Buckner added that the sponsorship of this project was yet anoth-er cause supported by the Auxiliary’s hearts and dollars. Earlier in the year the volunteers committed a significant pledge to the digi-tal mammography campaign. Buckner noted that dollars cannot tell the whole story. “Besides manning a gift shop and the hospitality desk near registration, they volunteer their time in a variety of ways all designed to lift the spir-its of patients, visitors, and staff We are truly blessed on a regular basis by their cheerful and fruitful efforts to make this corner of

http://www.tahv.org

65 Volunteers Donate $120,000

CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital

Corpus Christi-Memorial

During 2011, the volunteers at CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial gen-erously donated a total of $120,000 to help renovate their Emergency Department, which is the area’s only level II trauma center. With only 65 active volunteers, this is the first time that such a large amount has been donated in a one-year period. In order to raise so much money, many sales were held; among them: used books, popcorn, gold, silver, $5 sales, new books, uniforms, t-shirts, electronics, used baby clothes, and of course the wonder-ful gift shop, which brings in the most money of all. We are so proud that our small group has done such a mighty deed, and we give God all the glory!

Want to help put the right people in office for Healthcare?

Read Dan Stultz article on page

6 for information on how volunteers can help.


Brownwood Regional Medical Center

Brownwood Regional Medical Center (BRMC), located in the Heartland of Texas, is a small hospital with a lot of heart. The em-ployees, doctors, and volunteers function as a great big family. We are centrally located in an area with lots of small surrounding farming communities. We have a group of 100 volunteers, with 77 active, and we do stay active. Our Gift Shop was completely remodeled in September, and all proceeds from the sales fund the health-care scholarships. This year we awarded 38 scholarships of $500 a semester, up to four years. Cynthia Scott, BRMC Director of Risk Management/Patient Advocate, attended an educational conference with James, her husband as guest. At this conference, James was the winner of $750. He chose to donate these funds to the “Rose Muse Beadle” Scholarship Fund. What a great surprise and a generous gift for our Scholarship Fund. Since 1980 the BRMC Volunteers have awarded over $750,000 to area students studying in the health field. Volunteers want the Christmas and New Year Holidays to be very special events for our Hospital family and certainly the patients

who are in our hospital during this time. A Christ-mas decoration contest using the theme of “Christmas Movies Trivia” was held this year. Eve-ryone enjoyed the creativity of each of the de-partments. The Surgical Nurses were first-place winners using the theme from the movie “Elf”. February brought Valentine Day Fun with the Vol-unteers treating staff and doctors to ice-cream floats served in our lobby with wonderful Valen-tine decorations. At seven in the evening, a roll cart was used to visit all nursing stations, ER, ICU, Radiology, and Pharmacy to surprise them with a special float. In March, we have about 600 kindergarten stu-dents touring the hospital. A doll named Suzy was made especially to demonstrate the different rea-

sons a child might come to the ER. There is also a demonstration in the radiology showing different X-rays and explaining things shown on the screen. It is stressed that they should not be afraid, and they depart with better knowledge of what to expect and a sack of good treats. This requires a lot of volunteers to furnish this service to the community. In the near future we are looking forward to an Appreciation Luncheon and also working in the Community Health Fair where over 600 take advantage of free tests.

Having served as a facilitator I can attest to how popular this session is. We plan to have a larger space this year. Those of you who at-tended last year will remember that we had to add tables to accommodate those who wished to participate. For those who will be attending the conven-tion for the first time, this session is a round table format. Each table works with a facilita-tor to share ideas both new and old. If you did nothing else I believe that this ses-sion is worth attending.

Russ Hinman St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, Houston

Welcome new members! ICON Hospital – District 9 19211 McKay Drive Humble, Texas 77388 La Mariposa Hospice – District 2 1250 Cliff El Paso, Texas 79902


Lakeland Elementary School Presents gift to Memorial Hermann Northeast Volunteers

We at Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospi-tal in Humble are blessed to have a lovely chapel at our disposal on the first floor of the Southwest Tower. We pass it many times daily while running errands, but, if you’re like me, you rarely go in. Not long ago, I did have a reason for visiting the chapel and when I did I was moved by the a colorful mosaic that I saw hanging in there. This mosaic was cre-ated and made by hand as an after-school project by Amy Murphy’s Third Grade stu-dents at Lakeland Elementary School in Hum-ble. The mosaic features a green cross on a purple background with a red heart superim-posed over the cross. After a little digging, I discovered that the mosaic was presented to Andy Chao, our chaplain, in appreciation of the Book Busters Pro-gram started by Janie Dampier. Janie, who is ably assisted by Lisa Blonquist, currently has 13 Northeast Volunteers who read to stu-dents at Lakeland Elementary and Jack Fields Elementary schools in Humble. The focus is on children in grades one through five and uses books that are fun as well as educational. In addition, each child is given a new book to keep as their own each time the read-ings take place. The reaction of the children to hearing the stories read and in being able to pick a book from the wide selection of-fered is something that has to be seen to be believed. Another facet of the program involves the use of Marianne Bech-tol’s dog named Pancho. Children who have difficulty in reading aloud take turns in reading to him and, as a result, their reading-skills show rapid improvement. This program is an expensive undertaking, but it has received strong support from organizations such as Barnes and Noble, Vale-ro, ExxonMobil Foundation and the Lion’s Club. The rewards the participating volunteers received are incredible. You know in your heart that you have just made a difference in some child’s life.

Hap Hartley MHNE Volunteer

BYOI—(Bring Your Own Ideas)

I am happy to report that we will once again offer the BYOI round table at this year’s convention.

Andy Chou, Memorial Hermann Northeast Chaplain, and Louis Smith, CEO, Memorial Hermann Northeast.

Elections a Major opportunity for Texas hospitals Dan Stultz, M.D. President/CEO, Texas Hospital Association Over the last several legislative sessions,

Texas hospitals have sacrificed to cover the costs of serving a growing patient population while the state places more and more of the burden on hospitals to address the state’s budget shortfalls. Taking steps to change that mindset with legislators is a process, but this election cycle presents an opportunity for Tex-as hospitals. Health care leaders and hospital volunteers have a major opportunity in the coming prima-ry election, and it is more important than ever to establish a foothold in this year’s election. Forced to expand services and fund accounta-bility in a reform era, it’s time to choose legis-lative leaders who are interested in serving patients in a cost-effective way. Texas hospi-tals , with the their leaders and volunteers, can make this happen at the polls in the upcoming primary election by mobilizing more than 369,000 health care workers. Like no other election, Texas hospitals have some unique opportunities. Thirty members of the Texas House won’t return. That’s 20 per-cent of the legislative body who need to be exposed to the pressing needs of Texas hospi-tals and their patients. We have to ensure that new legislative leaders understand the im-portance of addressing the public’s demand for health care and the pressure hospital face. Currently, hospital leaders have several key areas to address in order to affect change in the coming election cycle, and there are ways our health care volunteers can engage: Reaching out to candidates: Local candidates attend a number of briefings with constituents on a weekly basis. They sit for presentations, follow along in tours and attend meeting after meeting. Hospital leaders must present these candidates with information revealing the


business of the hospital, highlighting the positives, nega-tives, and forecasted challenges. Too often, these leaders are not privy to the amazing work hospitals are doing right in their districts. For health care volunteers, it is important to mirror these efforts in letters and messages. Ensure that your local candidates understand the level of impact your local hospital has on the community.

Establishing voter registration drives in hospitals: Hospitals have to mobilize health care employees. By volunteering to head up a voter drive in your hospital, there is a very real impact you can have on voter turnout. Encourage those you work with to register to vote and head to the polls. Often, hospitals provide the primary employment base in a community, and health care workers should come together in ideology to ensure a healthy legislative climate for health care funding.

Being the health care expert: Candidates and their staffs de-pend on constituents to reveal the challenges their indus-tries face. Without this, officials have no way to form a platform on how to represent their districts. Position your hospital leaders to advise officials in order to have a great-er say in health care legislation. Encourage candidates you know to visit with your hospital’s top leaders.

Health care leaders are not always politically inclined, but we can encourage those with ties to candidates and the Capitol to meet with hospital staff to relate their key health care roles to legisla-tors. Bring them into your hospital for briefings on your needs. Waiting until November will be too late. Now is the time to reach out to our next crop of legislators to affect mindsets and ensure a healthy legislative session in 2013. While much of what we say about the success of hospitals is said through the stories of patient successes, none of that would be possible without ensuring a healthy bottom line to maintain oper-ations. Hospital volunteers play a key role as goodwill ambassa-dors for the hospital. Taking the role you play daily with patients can also come in the form of advocating for principles and policy that ensure the healthy environment for hospitals. For taking up this cause, our hospital volunteers deserve our respect and appre-ciation. We thank you for your continued dedication and all you do for Texas hospitals.

Coming soon…

TAHV 2012 Dues Invoice

Will send on: June 30, 2012

Due in July 2012

Reflections….

Why attend a convention?

Although it goes with-out saying, not every volunteer from every Auxiliary will be able to attend an annual TAHV Convention. For those who are, it is a unique experience not only to meet the TAHV Board, but to “schmooze” with volunteers from all corners of the State, and learn what is going on in their Auxiliaries, good and bad. The con-current sessions offered are a wonderful learn-ing experience, as is the new BYOI (Bring Your Own Ideas) session, and for those volunteers who aspire to be officers in their Auxiliaries, these sessions are a valuable tool. So, yes, it is totally worth it to be able to attend a TAHV Annual Convention.

Pat O’Toole PMH Volunteers

El Paso, TX 3/27/12

Attending the conferences in Dallas was a great experience for me personally, and also educationally. The few days that I was away helped me become a better volunteer. I met various people throughout the conferences, and shared a great experience with my fellow co-workers. Each conference affected me in a different way. I strongly send out a message to other volun-teers to attend these conferences to unite to work toward better hospitals with our fresh ideas as we return from these conferences, due to the fact that volunteers have a direct impact at hospitals. As a program we can share the different ideas we gathered, and express them as a whole to provide a greater difference than we currently make.

Rosa Morrill El Paso


La Mariposa Hospice Sierra Providence Health Network El Paso, Texas By Cindy Sanchez, MPH La Mariposa Hospice is part of the Sierra Providence Health Net-work in El Paso, Texas. Hospice is a unique service with a holistic approach to patients with terminal illnesses and their families. Our goal is to assist patients live their final days to the fullest and free of pain. The staff includes nurses that collaborate with the pa-tient’s physician to treat symptoms associated with terminal ill-ness, experienced hospice aides that assist with personal care, so-cial workers that assess the social needs of the patient/family and provide counseling to help cope with terminal illness, death and bereavement. A chaplain is also available for spiritual support and trained volunteers that can provide companionship, emotional support, run errands or to sit with a patient in order to give some respite to the caregiver. There is a significant difference between a Hospice volunteer and a hospital volunteer. Our volunteers go through a comprehensive training to help them prepare to provide care and emotional sup-port to the patient and their family. The training consists of all as-pects of hospice to include how to provide emotional and social support, understanding spiritual care, death, dying and bereave-ment. However, if a volunteer does not want to do patient care, there are other options for volunteering. We have opportunities for volunteers to assist our staff members in our office. We have Hospice volunteers to organize and order supplies, file, answer telephones, make copies and other clerical duties. Our volunteers are also very active in hosting our annual Memorial Service. This event is held during the month of November (Hospice month) for the patients’ loved ones. This is an opportunity for our staff to honor and remember our patients that have passed on during the last year. Twice a year our volunteers work on a spring project and a Christmas basket. These projects are made and delivered to our patients and their families. For our Christmas basket, many of the items in the basket are handmade by our volunteers. If there is anyone interested in volunteering for La Mariposa Hospice or would like more information on Hospice volunteering, you can call our main number at (915) 577-7870 and ask for Cindy Sanchez, Volunteer Coordinator.

Cindy Sanchez Volunteer Coordinator

“Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”—Martin Luther King


“TT” “TT” - What does that mean to you? Tremendous Trou-ble, Tickled Tootsies, Tough Toenails? TT stands for what is affectionately known throughout the Texas Association of Healthcare Volunteers (TAHV) as “Traveling Top-ics”. This committee, composed of TAHV Board members, can help:

your auxiliary locate speakers, partially fund speakers for your auxiliary programs and District

meetings, provide a TAHV Board member to attend your meetings as a

liaison with the speaker, if desired.

TT has repeatedly assisted with funding motivational speakers for the annual TAHV Convention. This funding helps to keep the costs to each individual member lower than they would otherwise be. In the last two years alone we have provided over $15,000.00 toward these educational and enlightening programs. If you wish to discuss how TT can help your District or your auxilia-ry, please contact Janie Dampier [email protected] or Jan Temple [email protected] , co-chairs of this committee and let them tell you how they can help. You can also contact your Dis-trict TAHV Board representative for information on whom to con-tact on the TT committee. Additionally, if your auxiliary is looking for somewhere to donate a few extra dollars, look no further than the TT committee. There are several auxiliaries within TAHV that donate a set amount each year to the TT committee to help them continue their excellent work through education and motivation. The only source of fund raising for TT is their annual raffles which are held at convention each year. Without your generous contributions, their good work would soon come to an end!! The TT Committee is looking forward to seeing all of you at our annual conference at the Renaissance Austin Hotel , May 21 - 23, 2012. We will be delighted to talk with you at the conference. Don’t miss this conference as it promises to be really educational and exciting. Don Newland Co-Chair of Traveling Topics Committee

SHARE IN B.Y.O.I.

IT’S FOR YOU….

WHAT: B.Y.O.I. (Bring Your Own Ideas) WHERE: 2012 TAHV Convention Renaissance Hotel Austin WHEN: Monday, May 22, 2012 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 Noon WHY: To share ideas, to network, to gain knowledge, to help make your volunteer organization “the best of the best.” This innovative program was begun at the 2008 TAHV convention in San Antonio, and has been a popular addition to each of the annual conventions since that time. Join in the fun as TAHV volunteers network in round table discussions. Share your knowledge and exchange ideas on the prob-lems and the successes you have encountered in your respective hospitals. Whether it’s fund raising, gift shop sales, recruiting new volunteers, holding on to the volunteers you have, or other issues, this is where you can share them. With our collective ideas and hard work we can all become “the best of the best” for each of our Texas healthcare facilities. We need each other.

It is vital to keep our database updated so please send all “Officer Change Information” to:

Fran Wyatt PO Box 271

Queen City, TX 75572

mailto:[email protected]


We’re never too old to learn

Recently at our TAHV Board Meeting in Austin, Texas, someone asked what would you say if a prospective member asked the ques-tion: "Why should we be a member of TAHV - what are the benefits". Fran Wyatt gave her several good reasons, and I don't remember if she mentioned education or not, but looking at our agenda for the Convention next month, I thought education is certainly one of the ben-efits of being a member, especially if one avails themselves of all of the opportunities that we have available. First, we have the Traveling Topics/Resource group which is beneficial for our learning more. And please look at the speakers that are invited to speak at our convention this year that are listed on page 10. I am always disappointed when I leave that I was not able to hear every speaker. Isn't this a grand op-portunity to learn more?

Sue Bramhall Shannon Medical Center, San Angelo

Convention Vendor Fair – May 22

Contact Bruce Gregg at [email protected] Showcase your company products and/or services Meet Volunteer Buyers

Additional Information on www.tahv.org Shopping Hours During Convention Buyers Only 11:30 to 2:30 General Membership 2:30 to 5:30


More reflections... “For the last two years, 2010 and 2011 I have at-tended the TAHV State convention. I would like the organizers of these events to know how much I have enjoyed them. The volunteer group from Me-morial Hospital of Lufkin, Texas will be attending again this year. We are all looking forward to being in Austin, Tex-as this year. In the past I have really enjoyed and received a lot of information from the motivational speakers. The BYOI meeting was just great. I received some very good ideas from other groups in attend-ance. It was great to hear from other auxiliaries. They shared their experiences with all of us. In the spirit of volunteering, I would like to say thank you to all who work so hard to put these conventions together”.

Sarah Page Memorial Hospital, Lufkin Texas

Awards at Convention

Exciting times are here again as our Auxiliary prepares for the up-coming TAHV Convention in Austin. Our Historian is working diligently in preparing our Yearbook to be judged. We love to keep track of all of the coming and going that happens all during the year at our Hospital, Auxiliary and our favorite Community Service projects. This is history and we want to present this history in the best way possible. Plus the excite-ment of presenting it at the Convention for judging in hopes to win the 1ST Place ribbon in our “ number of hospital beds” catego-ry and having bragging rights when we come back home. We re-ceive lots or praises for a “Job Well Done” from our members, Auxiliary Board Members, Hospital Board Members and anyone else that we can show it to. We present the original Yearbook each year to the President of our Auxiliary in August at our Awards Luncheon with a copy kept by the Auxiliary.

Our Tray Favor Chairman and her committee love to pick and choose which 6 tray favors they will be sending to convention for judging with hope of grandeur in bringing home a 1st Place Ribbon also. Our patients love to receive these little trinkets on certain times of the year and we are pleased to have the opportunity to show our talent. Our ladies work really hard all year on these tray favors and have a wonderful time dressing up (depending the Sea-son) and going to the rooms of our patients and seeing the joy they bring. If we do win a ribbon at the Convention, that adds to our conviction to our Auxiliary and Hospital and is a real display what is in our hearts.

See you at the Convention and may the Best Auxiliary win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lynda Rubey, Baylor Medical Center at Garland

Want information On scholarships?

Contact: Agnes Wright

215 Madrid Drive League City, TX 78148


http://www.tahv.org

Gift shops Paid and volunteer gift shop managers from across the state will form a panel of experts for two educational sessions the morning of Uniform Day, May 22. These managers repre-sent both large and small hospital gift shops with high success rates. Bringing their exper-tise to convention, they will give tips for in-creasing sales and demonstrate how to create eye-catching displays. If you are interested in new ideas for your hos-pital gift shop, bring your questions and come to the large Glass Oaks Ballroom for a great how-to session!

Convention speakers at a glance

OPENING SESSION – Monday, May 21, 2012 Dr. Dan Stultz – CEO, President, Texas Hospi-tal Association UNIFORM LUNCHEON – Tuesday, May 22, 2012 Steven Iwerson, Professional Speaker & Au-thor “Living Confidently, Doing the Unexpected” TAHV OFFICER INSTALLATION LUNCHEON – Wednesday, May 23, 2012 Deborah Kern, Ph.D. Health Scientist Finding Calm in the Chaos - “Creating a Sus-tainable Life” CONCURRENT SESSIONS (sessions will be given back to back unless noted below) Steven Iwerson The Audacity to Care - “Coping With Change Through the Power of Compassion” Deborah Kern “Find the Best of You…When Stress Makes a Mess of You”

Continued on page 14


Nominating Committee Report

The Nominating Committee proposes the following nominees for the officers of the Texas Association of Healthcare Volunteers for the fiscal year 2012-2013. President – Pat Densford District 7 – St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center

Round Rock President Elect – Fran Wyatt District 10 – Atlanta Memorial Hospital Atlanta First Vice-President – Don Newland District 4 -- Memorial Health System of East Texas Lufkin Second Vice-President – Dave Trzeciak District 7 – Seton Northwest Hospital Austin Treasurer -- Janice Allen District 6 -- Hendrick Medical Center Abilene Secretary -- Gypsie Hufnagle District 9 -- Memorial Hermann The Woodlands The Woodlands

Pat Densford Fran Wyatt Don Newland

Dave Trzeciak Janice Allen Gypsy Hufnagle

Why me? Setting an example of joyful volunteering I was fortunate enough to grow up in a rather small town, with parents who believed in set-ting an example for their children, or as my current friends would say “Walking the talk”. I remember being told of the various communi-ty events and services I needed to participate in and I also remember answering that call with a “Why me?” The explanation was really quite simple, I owed it to the community be-cause I was a member of that community. We owned our own business and both of my parents made the time to volunteer and work diligently in the community. I say this with pride; for now as a grown woman I realize how difficult it can be to juggle all of those balls and keep them up in the air. They did not do this so they could boast to their friends about their activism, nor did they do it because it looked good on a resume, they simply did it because it was the right thing. They did it because just as I was fortunate enough to have them, they too were raised by parents who set an example. Early on in my life I can remember my father telling me to always remember to give back to the community in which I lived. He reminded me that the members of my community were the same people who supported our business-es, schools and infrastructure with their pat-ronage and tax dollars. Because of that, serv-ing in my community and being active was a way to show my appreciation to each of them. Now, after many years of being active in my community and volunteering I have learned and gained many insights:

I understand the importance of serving others and the fact that by doing so I re-ceive so much more out of the experience than I could ever imagine. I know now, that I will never stop learn-ing. Volunteers usually have wonderful ideas to share and are anxious to do so. I am sure that it truly does take a commu-nity to raise a child; particularly if you want a child that understands commit-ment.


I value the privilege of being a part of my community and hav-ing the ability to engage with others to make it better. I know in my heart that I can and I do make a difference every time I raise my hand to volunteer to help. Finally, I know that my example encourages not only my chil-dren but others to imitate my behavior.

I no longer ask “Why me?” when I hear about or see something that needs to be done, instead I say “Why not me?”

Pat Sowder, Texas Hospital Association

Do you need help?

Wendy Hazzard of the Health Care Auxiliary of Minnesota, which is the Minnesota equivalent of our TAHV, will be presenting two convention sessions taken from the HCAM Leadership Develop-ment Modules. These 14 modules were created by volunteers to help volunteers, and they may be purchased individually ($20), 3 for $55, or as a package ($255). The topics are about:

How We Communicate Agreeing to Disagree

Attributes of a Good Leader Fun “Get to Know You” Questions

Team Building Ice Breakers How to Lead a Brainstorming Session

Customer Service is Key! Quick Meeting Evaluations Recruitment at All Levels…

Role Play Guidelines Strategies for Conducting Effective Meetings

Stages of Team Development Key Processes for Team Success

Successful Fund Raisers and Unique Service Ideas

President’s Party

Deep in the Heart of Texas

Attire: Red, white, and blue

Or Denim -- Western

Band: Texas Unlimited

6:00 – 10:00

Ya’all Come!

Scholarship Fund Donation Received In December 2011, a $750 donation was re-ceived from James & Cynthia Scott to The Vol-unteers of BRMC ‘Rose Muse Beadel’ Scholar-ship Fund used to aid students working to-wards degrees in the Allied Health Fields. Recently, Cynthia Scott, BRMC Director of Risk Management/Patient Advocate, with her husband, James, as a guest, attend an educational confer-ence. During the con-ference, James Scott was the winner and recipient of a $750 donation. James, as the recipient, was to choose a non-profit organization to re-ceive the donation in his honor. James chose the ‘Rose Muse Beadel’ Scholarship Program of the Volunteers of BRMC to receive the donation. The Volunteer’s Voice and The Volunteers of BRMC are grateful to James and Cynthia Scott for making this donation. The Volunteers of BRMC have awarded over $750,000 since 1980 to area students studying a health related field.

What happens when there are no volunteers. What happens to a typical American communi-ty without volunteers, based on government and academic research? Roughly 30% of hospital manpower would dis-appear;

Virtually all places of worship and the ser-vices they provide would cease to exist; Roughly 60% of Fire and EMS services would disappear; After school activities would be drastically


(L-R) Florence Hass, Co-Chairperson, BRMC Volunteer

reduced, Many more students would not receive one-on-one assistance and would drop out; Free medical, soup kitchens, housing and other social services for underprivileged would diminish by roughly half.

The source of these statistics is taken from ACTS & FACTS, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital Auxiliary Newsletter, November 2011, by Pam Lemp, Director, Volunteer Services. They were originally pub-

lished by the Bureau of Labor Statis-tics, Department of Labor.

The 1, 2, 3’s of networking

at convention

Networking at any convention is a rel-atively easy task; especially for volun-teers who are used to meeting and helping people on a daily basis. The benefits from networking are endless. You meet new people who can intro-duce you to new products, or provide you with information can that lead to wonderful new possibilities. If you are overwhelmed by the what

you perceive to be a persons level of expertise, take a deep breath and get ready to absorb the knowledge around you. Here are a couple of tips for productive networking:

Start networking even before you get to the conference. Check out the list of speakers, vendors and if possible even at-tendees. Familiarize yourself with what they have to offer and what you hope to gain from meeting them. You may even pre-pare a couple of icebreaker questions to get you started.

Go up and introduce yourself to people at the event. Sit in the front row and be attentive at the presentations that interest you. After the presentation, being in the front you are more readily available to introduce yourself to the speaker. Be sure to share a compliment with them regarding their presentation; this is always a great avenue to gather more information.

When speaking with people, get to the point quickly. Remem-ber, vendors, presenters and attendees are business people so their time with be limited. Keep in mind you may be able to see them later at a lunch or dinner event perhaps.

Listen, and listen well. Good networkers always have great listening skills so the person they are networking with has the opportunity to talk and share their ideas.

Use each event you attend to sharpen your networking skills, re-member, we never stop learning.

Valentine’s Day 2012

Valentine’s Day is always a very active day for BRMC Volunteers. Valentine’s Day 2012 was no exception. Information Desk Volunteers were kept busy delivering flowers for both pa-tients and staff. BRMC Information Desk Volunteers Ann Allen, Verna Bolton, Ann Casas, Florence Hass, Joy Ivy, and Dale Masey were kept busy making that special someone happy with flowers sent by a love one.

A special treat on Valentine’s Day for BRMC Staff Members is having an Ice Cream Float made with their favorite soft drink served to them by BRMC Volunteers. As in past years this event was well attended by BRMC Staff Members. BRMC Volunteers assisting with this event were A. J. Dickerson, JoAnn Goodwin, Mari-lynn Jackson, Jerri Jones, Suzanne Prosise, Vi Williams, and Mary Wooldridge during the afternoon on Valentine’s Day. Robert Wetzel provided Ice Cream Floats to BRMC Staff using a mobile cart in the evening on Valentine’s Day.


Delivering Flowers

BRMC Information Desk Volunteers: (L-R) Verna Bolton, Joy Ivy, and Ann Casas are shown preparing to deliver Valentine's Day Flowers to patients and BRMC Staff Members.

Getting Ready to Serve

BRMC Volunteers (L-R): A.J. Dickerson, Jerri Jones, and JoAnn Goodwin put on their gloves in preparation to serve Ice Cream Floats.

What Flavor would you like?

BRMC Volunteers (L-R): Vi Williams and Mary Wooldridge are shown making Ice Cream Floats to order for a BRMC Staff Member.

Hospital Bloopers from Hospital Charts

The patient refused autopsy.

The patient has no previous history of suicides.

On the second day the knee was better and on the third day it disappeared.

Discharge status: Alive but with permission.

She is numb from her toes down.

Patient was alert and unresponsive.

Skin: somewhat pale but present.

Texas Association of

Healthcare Volunteers, Inc.

PO Box 15587

Address Service Requested


Convention speakers at a glance Continued from page 10

Suzie Humphreys, Motivational Speaker & Inspirational Humorist “Yes……I CAN Do That”

Wendy Hazzard, Health Care Association of Minnesota Session 1 – How to Plan a Meeting Session 2 – Being a Leader….Just Became Easier

Susan Shelander, Manager Volunteer Services – Memorial Her-mann Healthcare System Customer Service – “Tournament Play”

Laura Thomas, Clinical Manager, Nutrition and Diabetes Educa-tion Memorial Hermann Healthcare System Session 1 – “Healthy Aging with Good Nutrition” Session 2 – Label Listing - “Understanding the Nutrition Facts on a Label” Belinda Flores, Computer Educator Newsletter Editor Session 1 – Newsletter 101 Session 2 – Beyond Email – “Communication on the Web”

Kevin Westberry Conflict Resolution – Let’s Agree to Disagree Gift Shop Panel of Hospital Gift Shop Manag-ers “Sharing Gift Shop Secrets” An opportunity for gift shop attendees to share their gift shop secrets.

Buy your tickets for Traveling Topics Raffle Don’t forget to stop by the Traveling Topics table at Convention and buy your tickets to win! Prizes include:

$400 Southwest Airlines Gift Certificate 2-Beautiful pieces of Indian art jewlelry. Tennis Bracelet valued at $699-Donated by Gold’ n Visions

So support Traveling Topics and enjoy the chance to win!

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