Marge, first row right, at last year's Laughter Lifts You Up. Name: Marge Adkins How long have you been a volunteer? 14 years What areas do you work in/what sort of tasks do you do? In the development (fundraising) office and helps out at annual events. What made you decide to become a volunteer? I heard about Angela Hospice from friends, and I thought it would interest me to be able to help somebody. So I thought I would volunteer and do what I could in any little way. Marge at registration for Light Up A Life. Favorite part about volunteering? Being with the people and knowing that everybody’s here to help those who need it. What is one of your favorite stories or memories from volunteering? When I was working the Tree of Life one year I was sitting there and all of a sudden someone came up behind me and gave me a peck on the cheek. I was so startled. I turned around and it was this young gentleman, he was about 19 or 20. He said, “Tha

Angela Hospice has blossomed over the past 30 years through the vision and great compassion of its foundress, Sister Mary Giovanni. Now that Sister Giovanni has stepped down to focus on her international ministries, Angela Hospice begins a new chapter under the guidance of new president and CEO, Margot Parr. Margot accepted the role as Angela Hospice’s leader in January 2015, after a national search was conducted by Felician Services, Inc., to find a new president/CEO. For Margot, it feels like coming home. She volunteered at Angela Hospice a decade ago, and at that time even wrote a letter to Sister Giovanni asking about employment. “I’m happy to do anything,” she said. “I’m happy to work anywhere. I just know that I want to be a part of your organization and I want to be a part of your good work.” She would wait ten years, meanwhile serving as executive director for Jewish Home and Aging Services, then operations consultant with Trinity Continuing Care Services, and finally

Name: Sandy Burton How long have you been a volunteer? 28 years What areas do you work in/what tasks do you do? She used to do patient care, now she makes soup once a week for residents and their families. What made you decide to become a volunteer? I had taken care of my mom at home for 16 years and I contacted Angela Hospice and got three months of home care for her. Then because they did such a wonderful job, and I was so dedicated to them, I decided I’d like to volunteer there. I was told I could but I had to wait a year. So I came and worked, did patient care in the old building for about three years. Then I decided, you know, they have a lot of people that do this (patient care) why don’t I just make soup for the families so that they don’t have to leave the bedside. I started to make a variety of soup at first but then I found that the residents, when they couldn’t handle anything from the kitchen anymore, they would take some broth. So I decided to start

Nurse Paula Schrock-Bending with volunteer  Nancy Schiffman Name: Nancy Schiffman How long have you been a volunteer? Six-and-a-half years. What areas do you work in/what tasks do you do? Patient and family care in the Care Center, bereavement, and fundraising. What made you decide to become a volunteer? After my husband passed away I felt very good that I was able to do the things he had always talked about wanting to be done at his funeral. That made me feel good that I was able to do that. At first I was thinking I could help other people by helping them make sure their funeral services were what they wanted. Although I’ve never had that conversation with anybody that idea did make me start thinking about volunteering somewhere. So here I am. Why Angela Hospice? I’ve lived in Livonia since I was four and I watched it get built. I worked at St. Mary’s and watched the whole Angela Hospice come to what it is now. I feel like I’ve watched it grow. Thinking back, one of my pape

By: Dana Casadei, Angela Hospice Volunteer There isn’t a big, neon sign for it when you walk in. No display or memorial of any kind either. What seems like a regular room in a suburban house to most people is a lot more than that to Barbara Ziegler. Her front room is where she and her husband Marvin spent their last days together during his time in Angela Hospice home care. Maybe it’s all the pictures on display. Or the pastel chalk pieces that Barbara created proudly hanging on the walls. Or how all the natural light coming in makes the house feel warm and cozy. But more than likely it’s Barbara herself, who makes you feel like you’re in your own home as soon as you arrive. Barbara and her husband, Marvin, at a Christmas event over 20 years ago. Barbara has lived in her Livonia home for 50 years, where she and her husband Marvin watched their three sons grow up. Marvin, who everyone called Marv, went through Angela Hospice’s home care program in 2004. The room our interview was

By: Phyllis Jason, Care Center Receptionist Joanne Galloway has a special gift of drawing portraits of people. She uses this gift to create beautiful colored-pencil pictures of hospice patients for their friends and family. With this unique talent she captures vivid and emotional images of powerful moments. She began in 2005. Joanne had just finished her volunteer training at Angela Hospice when her brother was admitted and passed away at Angela Hospice. She was so moved by the compassionate and loving care her brother received during that time she put her talent to work and drew her first portrait for Angela Hospice. “I drew a portrait of Saint Pope John Paul which was displayed in the lobby of the old hospice building,” said Joanne. “It provided a good demonstration of my work in hopes of motivating requests. Since then I have completed 256 portraits for grieving friends and families.” Images of the deceased can only be drawn from photographs. Joanne usually requests severa