Volunteer Spotlight: Barbara Keppen

-
Name: Barbara Keppen

How long have you been a volunteer?
12 years.

What areas do you work in/what sort of tasks do you do as a volunteer?
Helps in bereavement and does occasional mailings.

What made you decide to become a volunteer?
I lost my husband and so I know what they’re all going through. If I can be any help in the bereavement department to make it easier for them…it’s a wonderful thing.

Why Angela Hospice?
Because of losing my husband. I saw the ad for volunteers and came in. Then once I did the training I decided I wanted to get into the bereavement department. I got into the office part of it and it’s very rewarding.

Barbara (left) with Angela Hospice staff, Margaret Levine.
What is your favorite part about volunteering? 
Just everything. It’s a wonderful organization and everyone is so nice. I just love it. Walking into this place is like getting a big hug.

What is one of your favorite stories or memories from volunteering?
Helping everyone or anyone. I can’t specify any one thing. I mean anything you do – going to the memorials, the support groups – it’s all wonderful. It makes you feel like you’re doing something for someone, and I feel that’s what I’m here for.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Room for Brian

-
Image
   Angela Hospice's donor-supported Care Center     provided Brian with the care he needed -- and        brought his family peace of mind. The Angela Hospice Care Center has always been a community-driven labor of love. From its construction in the early 1990s; to its expansion a decade and a half later; and right through to the present, where day-to-day operations are supported by the generosity of donors and friends – the Care Center is a rare and valuable community resource made possible by Angela Hospice’s caring supporters. It’s also a godsend for families like the Wilson’s. When their son came to stay with them over Christmas last year, the brain tumor he had been determined to fight for nearly 11 years began to overcome him. At 30 years old, Brian was 6’2” and his disease had progressed to the point that he could no longer walk on his own. How would his parents take care of him in their home that was not wheelchair accessible? The Angela Hospice Care Center prov
Read more

Volunteer Spotlight: Ingrid Lasley

-
Image
Name: Ingrid Lasley How long have you been a volunteer? I started volunteering about 2 ½ years ago. What areas do you work in/what sort of tasks do you do as a volunteer? I cover the receptionist desk for lunch hours, which includes telephone calls. I have covered Tree of Life shifts for the past 2 years and plan to volunteer again this season. I also have been involved in numerous mailings and last year’s Walk of Remembrance. What made you decide to become a volunteer? I stopped working a few years ago and decided I could use my spare time best by volunteering. I am enjoying every minute! Why Angela Hospice? Ingrid with fellow volunteer Geri Orlowski My mother passed away in 2012 in Buffalo, NY, and after witnessing the treatment my mother received at a hospice facility there, I knew I wanted to be part of such a kind and caring group. What is your favorite part about volunteering? I have enjoyed meeting so many people who have demonstrated so many ways one can g
Read more

Sweet, Precious Time

-
Image
Debbie Bennett was called to be a steadfast wife to husband Thomas and a devoted mother to their  children, Christopher, Kelly, and Robin. She has relied on God to get through the hard times her family has faced, and has been grateful that Angela Hospice was there too, when she really needed support. Robin & Chris In 1989, at the age of 12, Christopher, her oldest child, was diagnosed with a rare neurological disease called Friedreich's Ataxia (FA). Chris was a smart and funny music-lover, and accomplished artist who was beloved by his family and many friends. By his junior year in high school, he began to use a wheelchair. As with many diseases of the nervous system, there has never been a cure or effective treatment for FA. Debbie and her family enlisted Angela Hospice's help to care for Chris before he passed away in 2004. He was just 26 years old. "I didn't know what to expect...hospice comes in and does so much more than care for a sick person, they
Read more