Recognition and Awards
for 2012
Debby Henry Award
This award was established in 1996 in memory of Debby Henry, Volunteer Services Director from 1980 to 1995. It is awarded to one outstanding volunteer who has at least 5 years of service, a minimum of 500 hours and who best exemplifies the "spirit of volunteerism."
Jeanne Hewitt
Jeanne has volunteered in the Patient to Patient program since 1999 and had accrued over 1,800 hours. She has received her 100 and 500 hour recognitions as well as her 5 and 10 year volunteer recognitions. A cancer survivor herself, Jeanne graciously and cheerfully visits with the Shapiro 9 and Shapiro 7 patients that are receiving treatment every Friday. Her professional manner, calm demeanor and keen listening skills have earned her the respect and admiration of her Patient to Patient colleagues, the Shapiro 7 and 9 staff, and patients she serves. Jeanne's humor is particularly noticed when she dresses up for the holidays. Whether she is a leprechaun, Santa's elf or a Halloween witch, she brings cheer and good fun to this patient population and staff.
Ambassador Award
This award was established in 2004 to honor a volunteer who represents the medical center with a consistently positive attitude towards all patients, visitors and staff. They must have volunteered a minimum of 150 hours.
Judith Brown
A volunteer since November 2003, Judith has been a dedicated participant in the Surgical Liaison program and also participates as a Cardiac Cath Lab Holding Area Assistant. She has volunteered over 3300 hours to these two BIDMC programs. She has received her 100 hour, 500 hour and 5 year recognition. Judy provides a warm and caring presence for the waiting families of patients undergoing surgery. Judy also serves as a Cardiac Cath Lab Holding Area assistant where she helps to provide updates for families and patients. She communicates driving and parking directions to family/friends for patient pick-up and compiles patient procedure packets.
Francey Sternick
A volunteer for Pastoral Care and Education since 2002, Francey visits Roman Catholic patients on the West Campus two days a week. For nine years in her role of Eucharistic Minister, Francey has brought the sacrament of Holy Communion to many grateful patients. Francey shows a remarkable generosity of spirit and a talent for giving comfort and solace to patients. She has volunteered over 2960 hours.
Jack Arvedon Award
This award was established in 2001 and is given to a volunteer who has contributed a minimum of 100 hours, shown the most flexibility, commitment and positive attitude over the year.
Aileen Novero
A current volunteer and employee at BIDMC, Aileen has been volunteering since August, 2010. She has functioned in three different volunteer capacities – that of an evening Unit Greeter on a trauma nursing unit, a Pet Therapy escort for dog visits to the psychiatric nursing unit and also as an office assistant in the Volunteer Services Office. Aileen has given many hours of her time and energy to BIDMC above and beyond her full-time employment as a research assistant in Anesthesia. Bringing that same work ethic and drive to volunteering, Aileen has made significant contributions to our office regimen in statistical support and also on-going projects for Obstetrics, the Arnold Pain Clinic and Gastroenterology. We are impressed by Aileen’s intellectual curiosity, analytical skills and passion for her research work as well as her desire to give back to BIDMC as a volunteer.
Radostin Penchev
A volunteer in the Emergency Department, Radostin has been volunteering for one year. He has accumulated over 150 hours. He volunteers every Tuesday evening without fail after working all day at Brigham &Women’s Hospital as a laboratory technical assistant. Generous, good-natured and kind, Radostin puts the needs of those who need help first. He has made a great contribution as a family/patient liaison to the running of the check-in area, the ED core and the family waiting area. Radostin has had a terrific first year!
Special Recognition
This award is not awarded every year—criteria is exceptional volunteerism
Melissa Gorman
Melissa, an employee in Pathology and a volunteer tour guide, has gone the extra mile by doing several special tours for guest visitors to BIDMC as well as her regularly scheduled employee tours. She is always available and willing to help guests learn about our medical center and to help employees find their way around the campuses.
Michele Strahan
Michele, an employee in Human Resources and a volunteer canine escort, has gone the extra mile by always being on call if another canine escort cannot make their scheduled visit. Michele always has great feedback about the Pet Therapy program.
Aparna Kohli
Aparna, a volunteer in Nutrition Services since 2010, has given to this department 1,254 hours of her time and expertise. While studying to become a registered dietician in the United States, Aparna has assisted the staff in developing many handouts, producing Power Point presentations and helping the dietician with updating growth charts on NICU babies. Aparna has also had a recipe of her own published in the fall, 2010 issue of Soy Connection newsletter: Stuffed Bell Peppers, Shrimp and Tofu Pad Thai. She has been a tremendous asset to Nutrition Services – she has definitely gone the extra mile to assist our patients and staff.
Cheryl Vander Shlaaf
Cheryl, a volunteer in three different areas of the hospital, has given over 800 hours this past year of her time and talent. Cheryl serves on six different PFAC committees. She also serves as a PACU concierge on Shapiro 3 and she helped ready and open the hospital’s new Parkinson Disease Resource Center.
Evening Stars Weekend Wonders Award
This award, established in 2009, is given to a volunteer who has contributed a minimum of 100 hours, and shown commitment and positive attitude to "shine a light" on patients during the evening and weekend hours.
Benjamin Zimetbaum
Benjamin, a student at the Commonwealth School in Boston, MA, has served as a Family/Patient Liaison on Friday evenings in the Emergency Department for the past 16 months. He provides a warm and caring presence for families that are awaiting news of their loved ones in the Emergency Department and has cared for and updated those patients awaiting treatment. In providing families with updates on the patient’s process and seeing to comfort measures for the ED patients Ben serves an important role that assures families and patients that they have not been forgotten.
Melissa Carp
Melissa, a student at the Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, MA, has served as a weekend Unit Greeter on Reisman 12 and Stoneman 5 since September, 2011. Prior to her weekend service on these floors she volunteered as part of a summer program offered by Henry Feldman, MD to rising senior women at Beaver. Her summer volunteer experience from May through August inspired her to return on the weekends to volunteer on these medical/surgical nursing units bringing to the patients a friendly and caring presence and taking care of their non-medical needs.
Youth Leadership Award
This award was established in 2004 to formally acknowledge leadership and service by a volunteer 18 or under. They must have volunteered for at least 1 year, contributed a minimum of 100 hours and exemplify leadership skills and a role model for other volunteers.
Anthony Adamo
An Abington High School student, Anthony volunteered in the Emergency Department during the 2011 Summer Health Corps program. He volunteered over 145 hours and received many compliments from the staff regarding his maturity, dedication and attention to the specifics of his volunteer position. He was looked up to by his SHC peers and often led the discussions and conversations as the group gathered for lunch and for group tours. Anthony received a glowing evaluation and was awarded his100 hour recognition and Certificate of Excellence. He returned to volunteer in the fall and took on the position of Unit Greeter on Farr 2. His goal was to learn as much as he could about working in a hospital before going to nursing school. He wrote a blog entitled My Journey to Nursing School where he sites the encouragement, honesty and professionalism of the Farr 2 nursing staff. Of the eight nursing school to which he applied he got into his top choice!
Janice Li
A Brookline High School student, Janice volunteered as a Unit Greet on Farr 2 this past summer as a member of the 2011 Summer Health Corps program. Janice was an outstanding volunteer in this position. She was quick to learn all that the position required of her and much more. The Farr 2 Nursing staff was very impressed with her ability to assess situations that required a mature presence and special care. Janice led by example with her attendance, assimilation of tasks and procedures, her friendliness and her consideration of her peers. She received accolades from her manager and her staff and was awarded her 100 hour recognition and a Certificate of Excellence. Janice has returned in the fall to volunteer two evenings in the PACU on the East Campus and Sunday mornings to bring newspapers and other reading material to the West Campus patients.
Alfred Agress – 45 years
This year we get to do "once in a lifetime" again – to honor another 45 year volunteer! Last year Trudy Agress was honored for her 45 years of volunteering and this year we honor her husband, Al.
Al has been supporting the Volunteer Workshop in a variety of ways. At first, when the Volunteer Workshop was located off campus at a nearby temple, Al would pick up and/ or drop off the items that the workshop needed or had made and transport them to Beth Israel Hospital. When the Volunteer Workshop moved on campus Al continued to help out by doing a lot of leg work of gathering and storing supplies for the workshop members. When he retired in 1983 he started coming to the workshop and staying to work with its members.
His main focus for the last 29 years has been the maker of baby hats for the hospital nurseries. He has literally gone through miles of stockinette, cutting it to exact lengths for the NICU, Labor & Delivery and the Feldberg nurseries, then carefully folding the brims and taping the tops. In these last years that has been about 18,000 baby hats per year.
We are grateful for his 45 years of service and support of our littlest patients and their caretakers. We are also grateful for his long-time support of the Volunteer Workshop and its members. Congratulations!
25th Anniversary of the Volunteer Surgical Liaison Program
For the past 25 years the Surgical Liaison Volunteer Program has provided a comforting and caring presence for those families that are awaiting news of their loved ones undergoing surgery. In providing families with updates on the patient’s process the surgical liaison serves an important role that assures families that they have not been forgotten.
Marion Jerauld, one of the current 14 liaisons, has been with the program for the full 25 years. A graduate of the New England Deaconess School of Nursing, Marion found by volunteering in this program a new way to serve the hospital that has meant so much to her over the years. The Surgical Liaison Program is shepherded by staff members Macarthur Cherenfant and Phyllis Agresti.
