| Request More Information | |
News
10/17/2006 - Albertville Teen Volunteers Make a Difference
F OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Richard Nieves
Alacare Home Health & Hospice
4752 Highway 280 East
Birmingham, AL 35242
Phone: 205.981.8000 or 800.852.4724
Fax : 205.981.8743
E-mail: Richard.Nieves@alacare.com
Albertville Teens Make a Difference
Albertville, Alabama—Some teens spend the summer skateboarding, playing ball or lounging by the pool. For one group of Albertville teens, however, summer meant time to spend in the service of others.
A
Front Row: Hillary Camp; Alacare Volunteer Coordinator Page Hannah
Back Row: Emily Todd; Heather Lightsey; Breanna Childress
Not pictured: Stephanie Hays; Jordan Gillilan; Janie Minor; Lauren Gentry
group of eight Albertville girls completed volunteer training with Alacare Home Health & Hospice—Hillary Camp, Breanna Childress, Lauren Gentry, Jordan Gillilan, Stephanie Hays, Heather Lightsey, Janie Minor and Emily Todd. The teens spent more than 250 hours filling a variety of volunteer roles for Alacare’s Hospice patients.“Their first project was to assist with the June memorial service in Albertville,” said Page Hannah, Alacare’s Volunteer Service Coordinator in Albertville. “This annual event is held to remember Alacare hospice patients who have passed away in the preceding year. The girls designed and made the program for the service, picked up food items, arranged candles and flowers, and greeted and served the families.”
Throughout the summer, the girls made an impact on the patients they visited. Kevin Painter, a hospice nurse in Alacare’s Albertville branch, remembers that one of his patients was especially well groomed one day. “I asked him what the occasion was for his fancy appearance,” Painter says. “He told me that he wanted to look nice for the group of visitors who were coming.” Those visitors were the teen volunteers.
“They were a bit apprehensive before the visit,” Hannah remembered. “After all, it can be very awkward meeting new people. When the visit was over and they were heading home, though, the girls were excited. One of them said it was just like spending time with her grandfather.”
The group just continued to gain momentum, and soon there was just no stopping them. They overcame any fear of public speaking they might have had to share their success stories at Rotary and BPW Club lunch meetings. Two of the volunteers went on the radio to raise money for hospice patients. Any time there was a specific or unusual request (CD players, CDs, air conditioners, etc.) the teens were not shy about asking local businesses for help. They lined up a local florist to present plants to new hospice patients and requested card donations from area drug stores. They not only helped plan the senior fashion show fundraiser for the Hospice and Home Health Fund of Alabama (a non-profit organization started by Alacare that provides grants-in-aid to needy home health and hospice patients throughout the state of Alabama), but they also recruited other volunteers to help.
“These girls gave a lot of time and a lot of love over the summer,” Hannah said. “They truly did make a difference in the lives of hospice patients and their families.”
For more information on volunteering with Alacare, contact Page Hannah at (256) 891-3895.
About Alacare
Founded by Charles D. Beard, Jr., the Beard family is proud that Alacare Home Health & Hospice is Alabama's oldest and largest family-owned, Medicare-certified home health agency. Headquartered in Birmingham, Alacare is dedicated to providing patients the highest level of skilled nursing, rehabilitative, palliative and hospice care available in the most cost-effective environment—the patient's own home.
Since 1970, Alacare has provided patients with quality home healthcare. Services provided include diabetes education, enterostomal therapy, home care aides, home medical equipment, hospice/palliative care, infusion therapy, medical nutrition therapy, medical social services, mental health nursing, occupational therapy, pain management, physical therapy, skilled nursing, and speech/language pathology.
For more information, visit the Company's corporate Web site: www.alacare.com.
