Volunteer Spotlight: Jeanne Coleman

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Name:  Jeanne Coleman

How long have you been a volunteer?
For Angela Hospice, almost 2 years, but close to 15 years with hospice — first in New York, then in Utah before moving to Michigan.

What areas do you work in/what sort of tasks do you do as a volunteer?
I currently have two areas of volunteering — I work in the Care Center where I help out each Saturday morning with breakfast and any other help needed by the patients, nurses, and aides. Secondly, I am active in the Bereavement Department doing  community outreach work, offering a grief support group to a retirement center.

What made you decide to become a volunteer?
I was teaching health for grades K-12 in New York when it became very apparent to me that my students were experiencing many losses and grief. I discovered we had no health curriculum that dealt with loss and bereavement, so I began to research sources and found hospice. Based on their work, I designed my own curriculum and was so in awe of what I learned about hospice, I began volunteering with the local hospice.

Why Angela Hospice?
When I moved to Michigan, it was very important to find a hospice as I believe firmly that this is my “soul work.” This is what I am meant to do while on this planet. One of the first people I met in Michigan is a nurse here and told me about Angela.

Jeanne near the memorial butterfly wall in the Care Center. 
Butterflies are a beautiful symbol of transformation and new
life.
What is your favorite part about volunteering?
There is a profound sense of humility, reverence and almost “holy ground” I feel when I am with the dying and their families, or when I have the privilege of listening to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. There simply is nothing like it.

What is one of your favorite stories or memories from volunteering?
In my early days with Hospice, our training consisted of shadowing one of the hospice nurses. I was assigned to an amazing nurse named George. Watching her with patients and families, I believe she taught me what is meant by “love made visible” — a lesson I carry with me to this day.

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