Posted: 4/24/2017
National Volunteer Week honors those who give back
Rosie Steffen’s philosophy is simple: In this life, you have to give back.
And that’s exactly what Steffen has done for more than 20 years. She is one of about 300 individuals who donate their time to Parkland Health & Hospital System in a variety of positions.
“Nothing makes me happier than to volunteer at Parkland,” said Steffen, 83, who shows up like clockwork every week to help nurses and staff in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). “I really feel like I am making a contribution.”
That is a comment Courtney Williams hears often as Interim Director of Volunteer and Guest Services at Parkland.
“We have a core group of really dedicated volunteers who play an important role at Parkland,” Williams said, adding that the variety of volunteer opportunities and the flexible hours encourage people to participate. “It is an opportunity to learn and an opportunity to connect.”
The April 23-29 observance of National Volunteer week is an opportunity to honor those who give back to their communities.
DeIra Lacy, Program Coordinator for Volunteer and Guest Services, said that because Parkland policy does not allow direct patient care for volunteers, one of his biggest challenges is finding positions where people can volunteer and contribute. Some of these positions include helping visitors find their way around the hospital, helping staff maintain treatment and exam areas in the Emergency Department, and helping in the NICU. All volunteers must be at least 18 years of age and are required to fill out an online application, provide two character references and undergo criminal background checks.
“Most volunteers come to the hospital once or twice a week, and we ask them when they sign up to commit to being here for at least 100 hours,” Lacy said. “The most important thing for us is that volunteers be consistent.”
And, individuals volunteer for a variety of reasons.
David Asemota, 29, is a graduate student studying biotechnology, but he decided to volunteer over a year ago because he wanted to get a better idea of how a hospital works. Often he works in Guest Services, helping visitors maneuver through the hospital.
“It really makes me feel good to be able to help people,” Asemota said. “Sometimes people will turn around and thank me for volunteering and that makes me feel good. The reward has been wonderful, more than I had anticipated. I think I’ll volunteer forever.”
Steffen, who worked as a registered nurse at several hospitals and later taught nursing at El Centro College, said she had always wanted to volunteer and when she finally retired, she decided to return to the first hospital she ever worked in, Parkland. So far she has served more than 6,000 hours. She does everything from making sure rooms are fully stocked to preparing discharge packs that include items such as diapers, a toy, blankets and other material to help the new parent get started; and she sometimes holds and rocks newborn babies.
“I wanted to give back to Parkland because of what it and the people here had done for me,” Steffen said. Since returning to Parkland in 1996, she has volunteered in the oncology clinic and palliative care, as well as the NICU.
When her husband died five years ago, it was a difficult time, but Steffen said nothing could keep her from her volunteer work. And, she added, she did not want to become a “weepy widow.”
“I got myself back out there, doing my volunteering,” Steffen said.
On a recent volunteer day, Steffen pushed a cart loaded with baby caps, blankets and other gifts recently donated to the Parkland NICU. She made her way to a storage area and began to sort the items. “This is the happy side of what we do,” she said.
And, Steffen plans to continue doing it as long, as she says, “I can stay vertical.”
For additional information about volunteering at Parkland, visit www.parklandhospital.com and click on the Volunteer tab at the top of the page.