Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton, an affiliate of Ohio’s Hospice, is celebrating National Volunteer Week April 17-23. This week is an opportunity to recognize the impact our volunteers have on our not-for-profit organization and our patients facing a life-limiting illness or injury. 

Volunteers provide a variety of services throughout the community including visits with patients, delivering supplies, assisting with office support, and making keepsake items for patients and families. In addition, Veteran volunteers are part of American Pride® Veteran Care by Ohio’s Hospice, performing Veteran recognition ceremonies to honor the service of Veteran patients.  

Thank you to our volunteers for their ongoing support for our mission. Volunteers are truly the heart of hospice care. 

We invite you to read about some of our volunteers at Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton and how they serve our mission.  

• Diana Arnett has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton since 2019. She volunteers with grief groups and enjoys being able to give a smile to a patient, visitor and other volunteers each night.  

• Julie Bains has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for four years. She assists the Ohio’s Hospice Foundation. She also volunteers at Innovative Care Solutions where she prepares kits for patients on oxygen. She volunteers because hospice has been good to her family, and she enjoys volunteering. 
• Maan Broadstock has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton since 2019 after Mann’s mother received excellent hospice care in Taiwan. As a volunteer, Maan visits patients for companionship and respite.  
• Alexander Brundrett is a piano musician and has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for five years after having a client in hospice care and seeing an opportunity to play piano as a volunteer. His favorite memory is having a young man ask to take a video of him playing “Danny Boy.”  
• Cheryl Bryan has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for about a year because she believes in the mission and her wife received care from the organization. She is a baker who bakes cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. She enjoys putting smiles on patients’ faces.  
• Candy Clark has been an Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton volunteer for five years after her husband received great care. She wanted to give back. She volunteers as a receptionist at Pure Healthcare where she meets and greets volunteers, families and staff. 

• Donna Czechowski has been volunteering with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for five years. She visits patients in care facilities. She makes Memory Bears, activity mats, and lap quilts. She also makes Feelie Hearts. 
• Amie Davis has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for six months. She is an ambassador who greets visitors. She makes flowers arrangements and creates welcome packages with a blanket. She enjoys giving a smile to patients, visitors, staff, and other volunteers.  
• Meg Draeger has been volunteering with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for six and a half years after seeing the services provided to her family while her father received care. She bakes cakes for birthdays, anniversaries, or other special occasion requests for patients and families. Her favorite memory is a patient note thanking her for a lemon cake she made them. A few months later, she met the patient’s daughter-in-law in her neighborhood. 
• Cathy Emmers has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice for more than two years as a receptionist. Her favorite memory is talking with a patient’s husband in the parking lot after a visit and hearing his stories.  
• Lee Emrick has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for more than three years. He leads a coffee group each month to help people through tough times. 

• Don Fodor has been volunteering with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for 12 years as a board member and assisting with fundraising events. His favorite memories include being pinned by a Veteran at a walk and having his head painted for a Hair Show. 
• Tom Gannon has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for three years, visiting patients and helping to put a smile on their face for the time he spends with them. His fondest memories are being able to talk and laugh with patients. 
• Debbie Goldberg has been volunteering with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for 14 years. She volunteers with Pathways of HopeSM Grief Counseling Center and the speaker’s bureau. She enjoys helping those in need during a difficult time in their lives. 
• Ruth Grubb started volunteering with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton three months ago and visits patients in the nursing home. Her favorite memory is when a patient told her she loved her. 
• Vicki Hahn has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for nearly 11 years through the animal-assisted therapy program, providing comfort to patients and their loved ones. 

• Lynne Hamilton started volunteering with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton nearly seven years ago after her mother received hospice care. She volunteers as a receptionist and crafts flower arrangements for patients. 
• Prudence Hopkins has been volunteering with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for the past year, helping with clerical work and providing respite care. Her favorite memory is providing respite care and connecting with a patient with a similar sense of humor and finding a moment of joy. 
• Bette Imhof has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for 10 years, visiting patients in nursing homes and providing caregiver relief. One of her favorite memories is visiting a patient who was 100 years old and hearing the stories they had to share. 
• Jill Johnson has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for a year, crocheting blankets and baking cookies and cakes for the Hospice House.  
• Traci Kurtz has been volunteering with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton since September 2019 after her father received compassionate home care. She visits patients in nursing homes and provides respite care to patients in their homes. She fondly remembers one of her first patients and the interesting life stories they shared with her. 

• Sandi Landis has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for 14 years after her mother and husband received care. She helps with data entry, patient care and crafting. 
• Paula Lawson has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for three years. After her mother received care from hospice and Paula retired, she decided to volunteer as a receptionist. She also provides caregiver relief. Her favorite memory was seeing the reaction of a daughter whose father’s clothing has been made into a Memory Bear for her. 
• Nancy Matheny has been an Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton volunteer for one year because she saw the opportunity to volunteer in her community. She mails greeting cards, makes support items, and visits patients. 
• Virgil McDaniel has been volunteering with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for eight years to do something positive in retirement. Virgil volunteers as a receptionist and an ambassador. 
• Scott McKenzie has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for four years after his mother and mother-in-law received hospice care. He has visited patients in their homes and care facilities. He also helps in the supply room to ensure patient areas are stocked. In addition, he supports the hospice archive project for Ohio’s Hospice, which includes sorting, categorizing, and recording photos, brochures, reports, newspaper clippings, etc. 

• Karen Metro has been an Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton volunteer for 20 years with the art cart and Heirlooms Shoppe. She also visits nursing homes. Her favorite memories are the experiences of patient and family interactions. 
• Craig Montgomery has been volunteering with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for nearly 10 years after his father was ill. He serves as an ambassador in the Hospice House and helps with flowers and tends to the Solarium. 
• Dawn Mosher has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for a few months because she wanted to give back to the organization that provided outstanding care to her mother. She volunteers as a receptionist. Her favorite memory is a bride-to-be dropping off extra flowers for the patients in honor of her mom. 
• Cheryl Oney has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for more than five years. She is an ambassador. She talks to patients and family members. She brings a snack cart to visitors. She also is a receptionist. She has many memories, but her favorite is talking to patients. 
• Marcia Perkins has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for six years, helping with the art cart in the Hospice House. Her favorite memory is the gratitude patients and families show. 

• Mindy Pigg has been volunteering with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for five years because of the care her mother received. She crochets blankets for patients. 
• Conny Poole has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for 15 years. As a former staff member, Conny wanted to volunteer somewhere she could give back to a mission she believed in. She volunteers with the Foundation. 
• Dorothy Reid has been a volunteer at Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for 10 years, helping with mail deliveries and the supply room as well as serving as an ambassador. 
• Valerie Schaefer has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for more than 20 years and helps with volunteer training, respite care, and the speaker’s bureau. Her favorite memories are getting to hear stories of why people want to volunteer for Hospice. 
• Mary Sell has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton since February 2014 after being a nurse with the team. She makes Memory Bears for loved ones and busy mats for patients. Her favorite memory is seeing the smiles on faces of family members when they receive a Memory Bear. 

• Linda Smith has been volunteering with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for nine months, after experiencing loving care for her mother. As an ambassador, she arranges flowers and welcome packages, visits with patients, and crochets busy mats for patients. 
• Lois Snyder has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for four years. She enjoys giving back to an important place in the community. Her favorite memory is visitors thanking her.  
• Mary Sparkman has been a volunteer with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for 16 years. She became a volunteer after her mother was cared for by Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton. She volunteers as a hair stylist and ambassador. She enjoys providing haircuts to patients.  
• Sandy Spencer has been volunteering and making blankets for Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for 12 years. She enjoys crocheting, knitting, and helping patients feel comfortable. Her favorite blankets are patriotic blankets for Veterans. 
• Patricia Stricker has been an Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton volunteer for 22 years and helps with volunteer training. She enjoys the feeling of being surrounded by people with the same purpose of assisting the community and knowing she is part of something larger. 

• Sue Thomson has been volunteering with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for nearly six years. She makes Memory Bears and crochets valentine hearts and shamrocks for holidays. 
• Vanessa Whitaker started volunteering with Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton a year ago because she wanted to provide respite for caregivers. She also helps send bereavement cards when needed.  

If you would like to learn more about volunteering, please visit: https://www.hospiceofdayton.org/volunteers/