Honoring Our Volunteers During National Volunteer Week

Community Care Hospice, an affiliate of Ohio’s Hospice, is celebrating National Volunteer Week, April 18-24. The not-for-profit hospice is grateful for the contributions of its volunteers and the work they do each and every day to support our staff in providing superior care and superior services to the patients and families we have the privilege of serving.

Volunteers provide a variety of services throughout the community. Visiting with patients, delivering supplies, assisting with office duties, and making keepsake items for patients and families are just a few ways volunteers donate their time. In addition, Veteran volunteers are a part of the American Pride® Veteran Care by Ohio’s Hospice by performing Veteran recognition ceremonies to honor the service of Veteran patients.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many volunteer activities were put on hold. However, volunteers provided support wherever they could to support the mission of Ohio’s Hospice and its affiliates while following COVID-19 guidelines. During the past year, volunteers across the state have written letters of encouragement to staff, sewn cloth face masks, crafted face mask extenders, decorated and delivered Christmas trees, made blankets for patients, decorated patient windows at long-term care facilities, made arrangements for personal protective equipment donations, and more.

Thank you to our volunteers for their continued support of our mission. Volunteers are truly the heart of hospice care.

We invite you take a moment to read about some of our volunteers at Community Care Hospice and how they serve our mission. 

• Dennis Berwanger has been a volunteer since 2015. He provides office support and assists with events. He enjoys working with his peers. 

• Paul Butler has been a volunteer for five years through the American Pride program. He serves as a Veteran volunteer chaplain, performs Veteran recognition ceremonies, and is a friendly visitor to patients. His favorite memory as a volunteer is officiating the marriage ceremony for a Veteran. 

• Bobby Joe Hooper has been a volunteer for three years because he wanted to help others. Bobby visits with patients, makes deliveries, and assists with memorial services. His favorite memory is delivering a prosthetic leg to a patient. 

• Art Rettinger has been volunteering for five years through the American Pride program. He performs Veteran recognition ceremonies to honor the service of patients. His favorite part of being a Veteran volunteer is the appreciation Veteran patients have for being recognized for their service. 

• Mary Richardson has been volunteering for almost a decade. She provides office support and enjoys delivering stuffed animals to nursing home patients.  

• Cindy Sholler has been a volunteer for more than 20 years. She became a volunteer when she saw how hospice took care of her best friend’s stepfather and wanted to give back to the community. She provides office support and helps with fundraising. 

• Laura Summers has been a volunteer for six years. She decided to volunteer at Community Care Hospice because of her daughter. As a volunteer, she provides office support. 

• Emma Thompson has been a volunteer for three years. She visits with patients and provides office support. She enjoys helping with the annual golf outing and visiting with patients in nursing homes and assisted living. 

• Dennis Trick has been a volunteer since 2015. He provides supplies and assists with events. His favorite memory is working the gardens at Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton, where he formally volunteered before volunteering at Community Care Hospice. 

If you would like to learn more about volunteering, click here.