Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want of live in. — Author unknown
National Volunteer Week is April 12-18, 2015, and we would like to recognize the many volunteers who help us further our mission of improving the health and quality of life for residents and families in the Yampa Valley.
Volunteers are firmly rooted in our 50-year history as a nonprofit organization. They have been at the core of fundraising efforts, which enable us to provide many important services, including Primary Care, Hospice and Palliative Care, Home Health and Public Health programs, regardless of peoples’ ability to pay.
Our volunteers don’t fit a particular mold. They include retirees, moms and dads, high school and college students and members of our Board of Directors. Many have jobs, children, studies and other responsibilities pulling at their time. Committed to the VNA, they sit at registration tables and sell tickets to events, help with office work, share games and crafts with residents at The Haven Assisted Living Center, prepare meals for Hospice families and comfort Hospice patients. We depend on their diverse skills to help us with many details involved in maintaining multiple locations and delivering a wide range of health programs to people who need them in Routt and Moffat counties.
There are great benefits in giving back to your community. Studies show volunteering facilitates new friends and social connections, helps alleviate loneliness and depression and provides career experience and job skills. Volunteering may also reduce stress, leading to other health benefits such as lower blood pressure and longer lifespan.
Thank you to all volunteers who contribute their time, skills and heart-felt dedication to the VNA and other deserving organizations in our communities. Please contact me to learn more about new and exciting ways you can help out at the VNA: 970-871-7609.
Mindy Fontaine, Donor Relations Coordinator – Volunteer Coordination & Special Events