National Volunteer Week is April 15-21. Hartford HealthCare would like to thank the more than 2,000 volunteers who generously give more than 200,000 hours of their time in close to 375 departments across the system every year helping us deliver quality care.
Meet just a few of our special volunteers:
Central Region
Name: Irene Avella
Hometown: New Britain
Where I volunteer: The Hospital of Central Connecticut. At first I volunteered at the cancer institute, and I loved that so much I decided to start volunteering at the main hospital campus and joined the ambassador/escort volunteers at the information desk in the lobby.
How long I’ve volunteered: 3 years
Why I volunteer: When I was a teen, I was a Junior Volunteer at New Britain General and thought it was a lot of fun. After I retired, I saw an ad in the local newspapers and thought it would be a great thing to do during my retirement.
Name: Bob Cosgrove
Hometown: Meriden
Where I volunteer: I am on the Board of Directors of the MidState Auxiliary and love working as an ambassador at the MidState Medical Center information desks.
How long I’ve volunteered: 5 years
Why do you volunteer? I never had enough time to give back while I was working, so now is my time to give back to my community.
Hartford Region
Name: Eliot Mag
Hometown: Rocky Hill
Where I volunteer: The Surgical Family Lounge on Bliss 5, Hartford Hospital.
How long I’ve volunteered: 8 years
Why I volunteer: Volunteering allows me to give back to the community and provide help to people awaiting the outcome of a surgical procedure on a family member or friend.
East Region
Name: Joanne Stevens
Hometown: Griswold
Where I volunteer: Clerical work in offices, Backus Hospital
How long I’ve volunteered: 18 months
Why I volunteer: When I retired, I wanted to do something to give back to the community and to keep my brain and body exercised. I just love it.
Name: Kenneth A. Doeg
Hometown: Storrs
Where I volunteer: The MET desk (Messenger, Escort, Transportation), Windham Hospital
How long I’ve volunteered: 20 years
Why I volunteer: I enjoy meeting people and making good use of my time by supporting the community I live in.
Hartford HealthCare Community Network
Name: Ralph D. Arcari
Hometown: Unionville
Where I volunteer: Hartford HealthCare at Home
How long I’ve volunteered: 13 years
Why I volunteer: I see hospice patients. If I can make these patients feel better even if briefly I know I’ve made a contribution to their well-being.
Northwest Region
Name: Ed Potter
Hometown: Torrington
Where I volunteer: Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, Medical Records Department
How long I’ve volunteered: 13 years
Why I volunteer: I feel good making a difference and helping out where I am needed.
To learn more about how you can become a volunteer at Hartford HealthCare, visit https://hartfordhealthcare.org/health-professionals/for-job-seekers/volunteer .