Name:  Marilyn Ling How long have you been a volunteer? Over 10 years What areas do you work in/what sort of tasks do you do as a volunteer? I sing in the choir. We meet the second and fourth Wednesday of every month. We try to sing patriotic songs, and uplifting music for the patients and their friends and family that come to visit. I also spend time helping out with the mailings. In the past, I’ve helped out with the desserts at the volunteer dinner. I did that for a couple years. What made you decide to become a volunteer? Both my parents were in hospice care, and I just wanted to give back. My mom was in hospice around 25 years ago. Back then the whole concept of hospice was a little new, but our family really embraced it. I wanted to get involved and volunteer, and that lead me to Angela Hospice. Why Angela Hospice? I chose Angela Hospice because I am a resident of Livonia. Marilyn Ling and fellow volunteer Kathryn Trudeau singing in the Care Cent...

Even when you’ve been volunteering your whole adult life, you never quite know what will come next. Just ask Harvey Fox, who’s been an Angela Hospice volunteer since 2014, and has volunteered at other organizations for years as well. He went through Angela Hospice’s volunteer training thinking he would help by visiting with patients, or maybe working in maintenance or hospitality – but he ended up assisting in Information Technology. Perhaps it’s not too surprising, considering Harv spent 28 years as a software developer, then another 16 years teaching computer classes. But he hadn’t imagined all the ways his I.T. skills would benefit Angela Hospice. “I only work four or so hours a week in the office, but I see that my time has really helped in many concrete ways,” said Harv. Harv has helped in multiple departments, developing user-friendly tools to help staff work more efficiently. And as much as the employees he helps are eager to express their gratitude to him, Harvey says i...

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...

Jennifer Lake at age 23, just a few years before her first seizure. You could say Jennifer Lake was a Trekkie since birth. She grew up watching Star Trek and knew all the episodes, all the characters. “She loved science fiction,” said her mother, Marilyn Spence, who took Jennifer to see her first sci-fi movie as a child. “Books, movies…that’s how she got started.” So in August 2015, when Jennifer booked two tickets for a Star Trek cruise that would set sail from Miami in March 2017 – she had a lot of time to build up excitement. Only things didn’t really go as planned. Jennifer had a brain tumor. In fact, she had been fighting tumors, undergoing surgery after surgery, radiation, and chemo, in a frustrating loop for 19 years. What started with a seizure when she was 26 years old, eventually evolved into a glioblastoma multiforme grade 4, the worst kind of brain tumor. But Jennifer was determined. She may have had a wound on her skull and enough medications to cover the dining ...