Name: Mary Ann Desjarlais How long have you been a volunteer? I have been a volunteer for 12 years What areas do you work in/what sort of tasks do you do as a volunteer? I help with fundraisers, make deliveries to patients’ homes, work on mailings, and do home visits and respite care. What made you decide to become a volunteer? I became a volunteer when I retired. I wanted to do something worthwhile with my time. Why Angela Hospice? I became familiar with Angela Hospice when my dad was there. I was inspired after seeing the level of care he received. What is your favorite part about volunteering? I love meeting the people I come in contact with. The patients and families are so grateful. Mary Ann sells raffle tickets at many of  Angela   Hospice's  events. What is one of your favorite stories or memories from volunteering? I was doing respite care with a patient that had Alzheimer's. She never showed any recognition toward her husband. One...

Name, title : Joan Lee, Bereavement Social Worker How long have you worked here? 23 years. What made you decide to work here? I wanted to work at a place that provided very dedicated care and I was in the process of switching jobs. I drove by Angela Hospice before they even had the driveway in and I said, “hospice.” I had also just lost my 46-year-old dear friend. I also had a lot of losses in my life so I had experience with death. So as I passed Angela Hospice I thought, “Now that would be a place where there would be dedicated people working…it would be more like a vocation.” Sister Giovanni and two other social workers interviewed me, and I was offered the position. How had you heard of Angela Hospice? I had never heard of it before but I was just driving by and the whole concept of hospice – and after the death of my friend hospice was already in my head – so when I saw the word “hospice” I thought, “I think I can do that.” So I asked the mother of ...

A new way to super-charge your Walk of Remembrance Everydayhero is a new tool that Walk of Remembrance participants can use to make an even bigger impact on Angela Hospice and the community. If you are walking in remembrance of a loved one, invite others to join you as virtual team members! Just visit our page on Everydayhero and click the green “Start Fundraising” button: https://nfp.everydayhero.com/us/angela-hospice-home-care-inc The Mimi's Little Sweethearts team at the 2016 Walk of Remembrance. In under five minutes, you’ll be able to customize your own team fundraiser page and easily share it with family, friends, and coworkers on social media.  For more on the Walk Remembrance and how to start a team, visit our event page here .

Deborah Diehr at Balanced Life Massage Studio in Westland, Michigan. “Whenever someone talks about hospice, I always mention that I am a volunteer for Angela,” said Deborah Diehr, a four year Angela Hospice volunteer. When Debbie isn’t working full time for a durable medical equipment company, she is busy owning and managing her own massage business at Balanced Life Massage Studio in Westland, Michigan. Her background in massage therapy has made her a treasured volunteer here at Angela Hospice. Debbie volunteers in the Care Center, but spends most of her time visiting patients’ homes to give massages. For Debbie, knowing she is making a difference in someone's final journey, and being able to give them comfort and peace, is what she cherishes most about volunteering. As for the most challenging part? “Not being able to get to every patient Lora sends to me.” With working a full time job and running her own business, Debbie has many demands on her time...