FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2011
Contact: Michele Hutchins
(603) 238-6468

SMH Honors Volunteers as Key Ingredient to Success

PLYMOUTH, N.H. — “The volunteers are a key ingredient to our success and I thank each and every one of you for making a big difference. You are committed, dedicated and deserve more praise than I could ever give.” That was the message delivered to Speare Memorial Hospital volunteers at their annual recognition luncheon from Speare’s Student and Volunteer Service Coordinator Jennifer Oldenburg.

The annual luncheon honors the more than 100 volunteers at Speare for their commitment and dedication to the hospital. From a smiling face when you arrive at the hospital, providing comfort and company at the bedside, or assisting staff with daily operations, each volunteer brings a special skill or talent that supports the hospital and serves the community.

“Volunteers bring experience and skill that we need,” notes Oldenburg. “Their attention to details makes the hospital a better, friendlier place for our patients and visitors.”
The annual luncheon is also a time to celebrate milestones. After five years of planning and development, Speare welcomed its first Reiki volunteers in February, launching the new Reiki program. Reiki— pronounced RAY-KEY—is a Japanese word meaning “universal life energy.” Reiki is based on the premise that we can draw limitless amounts of energy from the universe to support and enhance the body’s innate ability to heal itself.

Volunteers reaching service hour milestones were also recognized:

2000+ hours: Ann Burghardt, Kathy MacDonald and Larry Tingley
1500+ hours: Irene Deutsch, Chuck Engborg, Mal Estell, Carolyn Piantedosi and Janet Rapp
1000+ hours: Nancy Bird, Sandy Crisp and Richard Flanagan
500–999 hours: John Gray, Joan Poitras, George Smith, Wallace Stuart, Ann Thibodeau and Bethany Ward
100-499 hours: Irene Blake, Dan Bowers, Michael Buttolph, Jessica Carpenter, Linda Cochran, Lois Estell, Bernice Grossman, Katie Roukes, Eileen Torrey and Christopher Wilk

For more information about becoming a volunteer at Speare Memorial Hospital visit online at www.speare2020.wpengine.com or contact Jennifer Oldenburg directly at (603) 238-6460. Speare Memorial Hospital is a 24-hour, acute care, non-profit community hospital and health care provider serving Plymouth and the communities of central New Hampshire for more than a century. Visit online at www.speare2020.wpengine.com and join us on Facebook.