Hamilton Medical Center (HMC) volunteers were recently recognized at an annual luncheon.
“Volunteers are a huge part of our success at Hamilton,” said Gay Ann Talley, Guest and Volunteer Services supervisor. “They perform thousands of hours of service without expecting anything in return. Our volunteers take pride in all they do and it shows.”
Jeff Myers, CEO, and Sandy McKenzie, COO, attended the event and expressed their appreciation for all the service provided by volunteers.
The volunteers are from all walks of life, and several volunteers are veterans who consistently help veterans in the area. One of them, Junior Hammontree, recently received the Veteran of the Year Award from the American Legion, Post 112. Hammontree’s nomination mentioned that he takes disabled veterans to appointments, and he serves on the Honor Guard, which participates in approximately 115 military funerals each year.
During the luncheon, volunteers were celebrated for their years of service. They included: five years, Vivian Chance, Nancy Hampton, Roger Ellis, Eric Geissinger, Joel Phillips and Fanny Valiente; 10 years, Terr Ella Flood; 15 years, Pauline Harrison; 20 years, Yvonne Otts and Cheryl Watson; 35 years, Lucy Staten.
Volunteers with more than 250 hours of service in the past service year (from Oct. 1, 2017, to Sept. 30, 2018) included Pam Ackerman, Larry Bledsoe, Stacy Davidson, Earlene Dupree, Terr Ella Flood, Ann Geissinger, Eric Geissinger, Cecil McClure, Kay Moore, Mary Norris and Fanny Valiente. Volunteers with more than 500 hours of service included Roger Ellis and Brad Jones (and his dog, Marti).
Hamilton’s PRIDE (Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Diligence and Excellence) values awards were awarded to Robin Stiles for Professionalism, Fanny Valiente for Respect, Gary Benson for Integrity, Silva Borja for Diligence and Pam Ackerman for Excellence.
Pauline Harrison received the coveted 2018 Eva McCamy Award. Harrison has served the patients and families of Hamilton Medical Center as a volunteer for 15 years. “She has a wide array of talents and embodies all our PRIDE values,” said Talley. “She is a leader in so many ways and serving with compassion is just part of who she is.” Harrison is also a past Heart of Hamilton Award recipient for going above and beyond her responsibilities.
The Eva McCamy Award was created many years ago to honor Eva McCamy for her outstanding, selfless, dedicated volunteer service for Hamilton during World War II. She served as one of the first Gray Ladies at Hamilton Memorial Hospital (HMC’s name at the time). Yearly, this award is given to someone who consistently displays leadership as well as a gentle servant heart.
“We are very honored at Hamilton to have the best volunteers around,” Talley said. “We appreciate all they do for us. It takes a special person to volunteer. Thank you, volunteers, for all you do.”
For more information about becoming part of Hamilton’s volunteer team, please call 706-272-6147. Applications are available at the information desk located at the front entrance of the hospital or on the second floor in the Volunteer Command Center.