SPOTLIGHT: Ascension Borgess volunteers

SPOTLIGHT: Ascension Borgess volunteers
Living the Mission of the Eucharist
 
Volunteering is nothing new for Kathy Keagle. The St. Ambrose Parish, Parchment Parishioner has been generous with her time since her days as a Girl Scout leader and volunteer at her parish while raising her three children. Recently the retired medical technologist was invited by a close friend who was a volunteer for Ascension Borgess to give volunteering at the hospital a try.
 
For the past three years Kathy’s volunteering has included being a Minister of Communion, bringing patients the Eucharist. What’s she learned through her experience?
 
“You get more than you give,” she says as she explains other ways her experience has shaped her faith.
 
“I have more compassion for those suffering, and it’s made me slow down and really reflect on the Eucharist.”
 
Kathy also volunteers in the hospital’s gift shop, which she says was “a step above my comfort zone.” While she claims not to be a social person, she was also worried she wouldn’t be able to operate the cash register. Luckily she notes “Kristy (the Ascension Borgess gift shop manager) is so patient.”
 
For many people the gift shop is a welcome reprieve from the worries and challenges that have brought them to the hospital.
 
“We call it ‘retail therapy,’” notes Kandi Torres, who manages Volunteer Services. “Some people just come and browse around — maybe it’s medical personnel who had a particularly heart-wrenching patient case, and they just need to look at something pretty.”
 
“Or get some chocolate,” chimes in Kathy.
 
The 200 members of the Ascension Borgess Volunteer Corps are an impressive group. They log 2,700 volunteer hours a month, totaling 37,000 hours a year.
 
The goals of volunteer services are simple with the focus always on the patient.
 
“Volunteers are there to help the patients,” says Kandi, “and also to help alleviate some duties from the hospital staff so they can stay focused on the patient.”
 
Currently, volunteers serve in 29 different areas of the hospital (which includes seven of Ascension Borgess’ satellite locations) that range from the work Kathy does in the gift shop and as a Minster of Communion to sewing fabric tote bags that fit on walkers or being a patient visitor or greeter. Kathy even gets to occasionally flex her acting skills by playing a “fake patient” for new doctor and physician assistant being trained on new protocols and procedures within the Ascension network.
 
Kandi (shown right with Kathy) thinks of her volunteers as family and is always seeking ways to show her and the hospital’s gratitude for their service. One of those ways is the annual Volunteer Dinner. At the most recent event, held in October 2019, a few of the volunteers even qualified for the prestigious President’s Volunteer Service Award, which is only open to certified organizations.
 
However, as Kandi will be quick to tell you, it’s not the recognition that her volunteers are seeking but the ability to impact lives and be of service.
 
Each step along her volunteering path, Kathy affirms that she is more recipient than giver. “I feel more of Jesus’ presence — make sure to look at every person and treat everyone as one of our family.”
 
How to be a VOLUNTEER

• Visit https://healthcare.ascension.org/Locations/Michigan/MIKAL/Kalamazoo-Ascension-Borgess-Hospital (click on Volunteer for more information or Volunteer Application to complete online) or call the Volunteer Office 269.226.4882.
• To get started, complete the online Volunteer Application. Volunteer Services will review your application to see if any open opportunities align with your interests. If a match is identified, they will contact you to discuss requirements, schedule and current openings. If they cannot identify a match, your file will remain open for six months. They will contact you within that time if other openings become available that may interest you.

Requirements:

• Age Requirements: 16 or older
• Commitment: Minimum of six months
• Health Screen: Tuberculosis (TB) Test and flu shot
• Background Check: Criminal background check
• Orientation and Training: Volunteers are required to attend an orientation session. Training will also be provided in the area in which you will be assigned.