Volunteer Spotlight: Jim Best

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Name: Jim Best

How long have you been a volunteer?
Nine years

What areas do you work in/what sort of tasks do you do?
He has filled bird feeders; worked in spiritual care, home care, and hospitality; cooked at holiday meals and weekend BBQs; and taken photographs at events.

(“My main thing is security detail for the volunteer manager. I do whatever she needs,” Jim joked. Jim's wife is Angela Hospice Volunteer Services Manager, Syndie Best.)

What made you decide to become a volunteer?
Volunteering has always been important to our family and we’ve volunteered at a lot of different community things, like Salvation Army. We’re always trying to find something local. Then when Syndie started working here it was kind of a nice thing to be involved in something that she was doing, something the whole family could do.

What is your favorite part about volunteering?
It’s been cool to have my wife and I start volunteering and having our kids see what we’re doing. Now, not only have we gotten to impact patients’ families but two out of my three children, as they got old enough, went through the training class and have been volunteering here. I think that’s the cool thing to have them sort of catch the bug. One of our family values is to try to make the world a better place and I think that’s something that we’ve seen we can do in kind of a small way here.

What is one of your favorite stories or memories from volunteering?
Last year when I was doing my first BBQ, there was a particular patient who sent back their hot dog at least four times until it was like charred and charcoal. They finally just told me to throw it on the coals and leave it there and forget about it. That’s what they had a hankering for. Sure enough, once I thought it should just be thrown out they were pleased as punch and got to die with dignity eating their charred, burnt-beyond-recognition hot dog. It was cool to be able to meet that kind of person where that was important to them. It was cool to be able to fulfill that.

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